By Hazel Scott

Wouldn't it be great if we could slow down the aging process, so we’re living longer, but ensuring those additional years are spent in good health? ‘Healthy aging’ is happening already as we become more conscious of lifestyle choices around diet, exercise, managing stress, sleep and other factors. But a natural part of getting older is our bodies slowing down, joints wearing out, cells not renewing as effectively, and our organs may stop functioning as well as they did. Deficiencies of key vitamins, minerals and nutrients can contribute to this, so we start taking supplements like B12, Vitamin D, Calcium, Folate and Magnesium, for example, to balance that out. But there’s one key supplement that hasn’t been talked about so much, and it’s one that really can influence our longevity. Let’s talk about Taurine!

What Is Taurine?

Chances are if you’ve heard about taurine in the media, it’s because it’s one of the key ingredients in energy drinks. But it’s now thought that along with providing an extra kick to those drinking it, taurine might just provide the body’s cells with additional energy too. Taurine is a naturally-occurring substance containing sulfur, and is a fundamental building block for proteins. 

Taurine is also one of the key ingredients we talk about at Agent Nateur, because we’ve included it in our calm (beauty) daily supplement. Why did we select it? We knew it could induce a more stable state of calm, better sleep and a balanced mood by naturally working to regulate the body’s stress response and inflammation. Further benefits are that it can enhance brain and cognitive health and it supports longevity and healthy aging. Our formula was designed to help skin repair itself naturally and it is brimming with anti-aging ingredients clinically studied to induce autophagy, helping reverse and repair damage, rejuvenate cells, and potentially reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and premature aging. 

It’s classified as an amino acid and is found in many foods. It’s also found abundantly in our bodies, in many areas - but it’s particularly concentrated in the brain, eyes, heart and muscles - so it’s a vital compound for our overall health and organ function. It is actually considered to be a ‘conditional’ amino acid, meaning that our bodies produce some taurine but we also need to consume taurine-rich foods and supplements. This of course becomes more important as we get older, as studies have shown that by the time we reach 60, taurine levels in a typical person fall to one-third of that observed in five-year-olds.

Taurine-Rich Foods to help us stay healthier and more active for longer include grass-fed beef, poultry, seafood, dairy, and pasteurized eggs and dairy. 

How Does Taurine Work?

Taurine helps to support our nervous system, heart health and muscle function. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help to protect cells from damage, regulate the volume of cells, stabilize cell membranes, adjust intracellular calcium levels and contribute to the production of bile salts. 

Already quite widely used to help those who suffer from insomnia and anxiety, it is now also seen as a potential aid to help promote longer living too. No wonder the health benefits of taurine are of such interest to researchers. 

Supplementing With Taurine - What Do We Know?

In the quest for eternal youth, scientists have long been exploring factors that can promote an increased healthspan and longevity. Recent findings illustrate that taurine shows promise in helping us live longer and healthier lives. There has been coverage in the media over the last couple of years that cites research carried out on mice and monkeys where taurine rejuvenated just about every organ and showed improvements in their health and lifespan. This resulted in calls for wider studies on humans to determine whether the same would hold true - and that research is currently still on-going. But what have we learnt so far? 

Results have indicated that taurine levels decline with age (as observed in mice, monkeys and humans), and that this reduction could contribute to the aging process, but that supplementation with taurine shows promise in reversing this decline. Studies on mice revealed a 10-12% increase in median lifespan. That might not sound like much, but an extra three to four months for mice would equate to an additional seven or eight human years! There was also an improvement in healthspan, including improved strength, coordination, cognitive function, along with a decrease in DNA damage which is a major cause of age-related cell impairment and a decrease in the inflammation associated with many age-related diseases including liver disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The study also discovered a link between physical exercise and anti aging benefits, when results showed that an increase in physical activity increased taurine levels in the blood. In another study, a species of monkey (the rhesus macaque) benefited in bone, metabolic and immunological health after taurine supplementation. And, according to the best available evidence, taurine has ZERO negative side effects when supplemented appropriately.

The Super Seven Taurine Life Enhancers

1. It Calms the Nervous System: Taurine helps to induce a sense of calm by reducing anxiety and relieving mood issues, helping us get a better quality of sleep which is so important to our wellbeing. It does this by activating GABA receptors in the brain - these receptors then release inhibitory GABA neurotransmitters which cause more sedation than stimulation in our brains, slowing down certain brain functions. Taurine can also potentially suppress the sympathetic nervous system, meaning it may help to lower the body's stress response. This explains why supplementing with taurine results in us experiencing stress reduction and anxiety relief, a sense of calm to body and mind, a reduction in overthinking and improved sleep quality.

2. Cell Protection: It’s an antioxidant, so it protects our cells and tissues from the oxidative damage that contributes to chronic pain conditions. Taurine’s cell protection at a molecular level has been associated with a lowering of DNA damage, and studies have shown a potential role for taurine to help manage age-related illnesses linked to DNA damage.

3. Heart and Wider Cardiovascular Benefits: Taurine is found in the tissues of areas with high metabolic activity such as our hearts, brains and skeletal muscles. It plays an important role in the prevention of strokes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) by helping to regulate blood pressure, cardiac contractility and vascular function, alongside improving endothelial function (the exchange of materials between blood and tissues). A review published in Nutrients covered taurine’s significant role in human health with a focus on its support of the cardiovascular function and aging, pointing to how its antioxidant capacity benefits both cardiovascular and neurological well-being. Another study drew from data collected in the CVD and Alimentary Comparison (CARDIAC) Study - an international survey drawn from 61 worldwide populations - focusing on diet, CVD risks and mortality. It evidenced how populations with a higher intake of taurine tended to have fewer deaths from coronary heart disease.

4. Parkinson’s Disease Protection: Parkinson's disease is said to be the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. It affects the brain due to the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons, resulting in damage to motor functions, causing shaking, stiffness, and problems with balance and coordination that just get worse over time. Although the exact cause of Parkinson’s is still a subject of much research, there is already evidence showing that chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are a part of its development and progression. Taurine can reduce both inflammation and oxidative stress, which is why it’s being considered as a possible slower or preventer of the condition, supporting mitochondrial function, protecting against damage, and limiting the formation of damaging molecules.

5. Improved Metabolic Health: Our metabolic health (how our bodies process energy and nutrients such as sugar and fat from food) is important because poor metabolic health can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar, raised cholesterol levels and more - all the things we really want to avoid. Research has shown positive results around taurine and insulin sensitivity - suggesting that people with Type 2 diabetes or those at risk of developing it could benefit from taurine, based on its role in metabolic regulation in glucose and lipid metabolism. So much so, that its ability to boost cellular and metabolic health, especially blood sugar control, has resulted in it being referred to as a ‘longevity amino acid’.

6. Improved Healthspan and Biological Age: Our ‘healthspan’ is the period of life we spend in good health, with no major chronic diseases. People can have a biological age that is younger than their actual chronological age if they look after their health, exercise regularly, aren’t overweight, eat a diet that’s good for the heart, sleep well and so on. But if they don’t take care, they’ll have a biological age that is older than their true age. Taurine’s ability to interact with the gut microbiome and bile acid conjugation have also been noted, as these are being given credit for their importance in overall health. Experts are drawing the conclusion that by increasing our taurine levels from diet and supplementing, we can slow down the biological clock. 

7. Eye Health: Taurine is found in high concentrations in the eye, particularly in the retina. It plays a role in maintaining eye health and may help to protect against various eye disorders - something we’re all a little more conscious of as we get older and our eyesight deteriorates.

If you need further proof that taurine could be the lifestyle supplement you’ve been looking for, you can read more on our previous blog post Why I’m Obsessed With Taurine about its amazing effect on insomnia, quality of sleep, pain relief, how it calms anxiety and improves cognitive function, coordination and strength. 

Act Now - Up Your Taurine Levels!

As we get older, our bodies are less effective at creating a natural supply of taurine. And while everyone is different, it’s worth considering a personalized plan to boost health and cellular energy which incorporates upping taurine levels to support our goals for healthy aging. So a good starting point is to ensure we have a balanced diet that includes those taurine-rich foods we mentioned earlier. However, some individuals - particularly vegetarians and vegans - may struggle to maintain optimal levels due to the primary dietary sources being animal products. In these situations, taurine supplements - which can benefit us all - are an obvious choice. Each serving of Agent Nateur calm (beauty) supplement contains 500mg of taurine, alongside a blend of magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin B6, spermidine, GABA and l-theanine (and more!), so it’s definitely worth considering if you want to boost your intake and prolong your healthspan. 

As always, these things are never as effective if done purely in isolation. Taking a holistic approach to health and well-being that embraces diet, exercise, supplementing and making informed lifestyle choices is the best strategy for a healthier, longer life.

*** WE ARE NOT DOCTORS, THEREFORE ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RESEARCHING FURTHER IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT***