Title Therapeutic applications of taurine. Author Birdsall TC Source Altern Med Rev, 1998 Apr, 3:2, 128-36 Abstract
Taurine is a conditionally-essential amino acid which is not utilized in protein synthesis, but rather is found free or in simple peptides.
Taurine has been shown to be essential in certain aspects of mammalian development, and in vitro studies in various species have demonstrated that low levels of taurine are associated with various pathological lesions, including cardiomyopathy, retinal degeneration, and growth retardation, especially if deficiency occurs during development.
Metabolic actions of taurine include: bile acid conjugation, detoxification, membrane stabilization, osmoregulation, and modulation of cellular calcium levels.
Clinically, taurine has been used with varying degrees of success in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, including: cardiovascular diseases, hypercholesterolemia, epilepsy and other seizure disorders, macular degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, hepatic disorders, alcoholism, and cystic fibrosis.
In the nervous system, stabilizes cell membranes, which raises the seizure threshhold, and helps treat epileptic seizures. Acts as inhibitory neurotransmitter and is as potent as Glycine and GABA. Anti-convulsant effect is long-lasting and can be confirmed both clinically and by repeat EEG's (electroencephalograms). Anti-oxidant. Slows down the aging process by neutralizing free radicals. Highest concentration of Taurine is in the heart. Reduces risk of gall stones by combining with bile acids to make them water soluble. Involved in stabilization of heart rhythm. Loss of intracellular Taurine in the heart leads to arrhythmias. Useful in treatment of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Strenghtens neutrophils (white blood cells/part of immune system) in their ability to kill bacteria. Useful in brain injury Decreases cholesterol levels (along with Lysine, Carnitine, and Tryptophan). Highly concentrated in the eye.
Taurine levels, whether high or low, indicate whether further lab work is needed. For example, if Taurine levels are low and the clinical picture is suggestive of candidiasis, one should test for candida through comprehensive stool analysis and/or anti-candida antibodies.
If Taurine levels are high, zinc and Vitamin B6 levels should be tested. P5P, an important form of Vitamin B6 is necessary for many amino acid reactions to take place.
Posted by lightfoot (Member # 2536) on :
Up. May be of current interest.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Thanks for the article, lightfoot.
Of particular note to vegans and vegetarians, supplementing Taurine is just as important as supplementing with B12.
And, the reason cats should never go on a vegetarian diet: they don't make any taurine in their body and without taurine from fish and meat, they can go blind.
Same with people, although we do make some taurine, most of it is in muscle meats and fish. So, without those in human diet, Taurine must be supplemented to protect eyesight (and nerves, too).
Taurine is very calming. For anyone just starting out with it, I find it best to start in the evening.
For anyone who lands anywhere on the seizure spectrum, taurine is just as important as magnesium for support. -
Posted by Marnie (Member # 773) on :
My son has seizures. His look to be caused by low sodium. Genetically, it appears he has a hard time "holding onto" sodium.
We counter with sublingual B6.
There are MANY causes for seizures. Hyponatremia is just one.
B6 has the most functions of any vitamin.
To play it safe...B complex is also avail. as a sublingual.
The B vitamins (as supplements) are easily destroyed by our very strong stomach acids (not those in FOOD, however). So sublingual is a good alternative, IMO.
Probiotics always.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- A note about some of the B-complex, I've found many brands to contain gluten. Sigh. Be sure to read all the fine print.
Anyone know of a B complex, sublingual that is gluten-free? I was using this for a while and didn't read, assuming it was fine. It was not.
Source Naturals sublingual B Complex: "contains gluten/soy"
Marnie, Have you heard of this ? P.S.. I have the same sodium problem; Started suddenly in 2003
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The FDA's war on Mother Nature It's not the first time the FDA has declared a natural molecule to be a "drug" while attacking nutritional supplements that contain the same molecule. A similar story unfolded with red yeast rice and the lovastatin molecules it contains that lower high cholesterol. The drug companies engaged in biopiracy, ripping off the molecule from red yeast rice to make their now-famous "statin drugs." Once the statin drugs were patented, Big Pharma and the FDA went after red yeast rice, claiming the supplement was "adulterated with pharmaceuticals."
It wasn't really adulterated, of course. It just contained a natural statin-drug-like molecule that the drug companies copied and patented.
It would be like Big Pharma patenting vitamin C, then the FDA claiming that all oranges and lemons were adulterated with drugs because they naturally contain their own vitamin C.
This is the insanity of the FDA as it operates today. You can read more about the FDA on our channel webiste www.FDAreform.org which is updated every few days.
So will this ruling on pyridoxamine affect nutritional supplements? Yes, any supplements containing this form of vitamin B6 can now be declared "adulterated" by the FDA. Manufacturers of such supplements can be arrested and shut down for engaging in "illegal drug trafficking." Such is the nature of the FDA's agenda to criminalize nutritional supplement companies and limit consumers' access to Mother Nature's remedies.
The pyridoxamine "drug," by the way (which is just pyridoxamine), is designed to prevent the progression of diabetic nephrothapy (kidney disease). Most likely, the FDA will eventually approve the "drug" for that condition, even while claiming vitamin B6 supplements containing the very same chemical are useless and insert.
This is another classic oppression tactic of the FDA: Ban the herb, but promote the drug using the same chemicals. The same thing happened with ephedra, a Traditional Chinese Medicine herb known as ma huang. The FDA banned the herb, saying it was "dangerous at any dose," but pharmaceuticals containing the very same molecules (ephedrine) are still being sold over-the-counter as cold medicines, meaning they're available to any child without a prescription.
The bottom line is this: FDA approvals and bans have nothing to do with science and everything to do with protecting drug companies profits. If a drug company can make money selling a vitamin as a drug, the FDA will gladly ban the vitamin and protect the drug. If a drug company can rip off molecules from Mother Nature and patent them, the FDA will ban those same molecules found in nature.
All of this points to the urgent need to reform the FDA. A new petition demanding real FDA reform will be announced here on NaturalNews in the coming days.