Taurine relieves high levels of anxiety and high blood pressure
Taurine
Updated Mar. 09th, 2022
Taurine is a called a non-essential amino acid, because it is not required in the diet so long as other protein is present. It can actually be manufactured by the body from the skeletons of other amino acids. Newborn infants are the exception to this rule because they have not yet established the pathways required for making taurine, and thus they require dietary intake to meet their nutritional needs. In older children and adults, the body can still benefit from supplementation as well.
Taurine plays an important role in the metabolism of proteins and neurotransmitters, and in digestion, and cardiovascular health. The biologically active form of taurine is called L-taurine. Natural health practitioners recommend taurine for: heart disease, heart failure, high cholesterol, diabetes, hypoglycemia, epilepsy, anxiety, hyperactivity, and high blood pressure.
Nervous System
Interestingly, taurine can cross the blood-brain barrier, which allows it to directly affect the brain. It can act in the brain and body as a neurotransmitter that inhibits nerve impulses. This allows it to stop unwanted and excess nerve signals like those that cause seizures, hyperactivity and anxiety. Because of this, taurine is often added to energy drinks to help prevent the negative side effects of stimulation such as: anxiety, palpitations, and tremors. For more information, please see our Energy Drinks article.
Digestion and Weight Loss
Taurine is one of the main components of bile, the compound that is released into the intestine by the liver to help with the digestion of fatty meals. Bile acids emulsify fat and aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins in the digestive tract. Thus, healthy taurine levels are required for proper digestion. Supplementation with taurine for other reasons in research studies has been found to co-ordinate with a reduction in body weight in the same group. Thus, taurine may help promote weight loss in overweight individuals.
Antioxidant
Interestingly, taurine is also a strong antioxidant in the body that can help protect against the oxidative stress caused by exercise. For more information, please see our Antioxidants article. It can also help to protect against the toxicity of heavy metals like lead and cadmium. For more information on toxic elements, please see our Detoxification article.
Heart Health and Cholesterol
In the heart muscle, taurine regulates contractions and prevents irregular heartbeats. It also regulates potassium levels, which helps to further ensure the regularity of the heartbeat. In addition to helping to regulate the nerve impulses to the heart, taurine can also help to reduce the production of apolipoprotein B100, which is one of the major components of VLDL and LDL (“bad” cholesterols). Thus, taurine intake can help to normalize cholesterol levels in the body and prevent cardiovascular disease. For more information, please see our Cholesterol article. Supplementation with taurine has also been found to increase the force and effectiveness of heart contractions in those suffering from congestive heart failure. For more information, please see our Heart Health article.
Deficiency Signs and Symptoms
When there is not enough taurine in the body, excessive nerve impulses cannot be properly inhibited and it can result in symptoms of seizures, hyperactivity, and anxiety. A deficiency of taurine also leads to damage in the photoreceptors of the eye and can eventually cause visual impairment. Taurine levels are found to be significantly lower in those following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Alcohol consumption can also significantly reduce taurine levels in the body. If you have dietary restrictions or a prolonged intake of alcohol, supplementation with taurine is often advised.
How can I get more taurine?
Taurine is naturally found in animal products, especially meat and seafood. It can also be commonly found as a supplemental powder or in capsules, as well as in formulas for heart health, and energy drinks. It is often used with coenzyme Q10 and carnitine for supporting the heart. Take amino acid supplements at least 1/2 hour before or a few hours after a meal to maximize their absorption. If you take an individual amino acid supplement for longer than one month, add an amino acid complex to the protocol to prevent any deficiency of other amino acids.
I am looking to see if this will help calm my chronic stress brain/Limbic system down. It also increases serotonin and GABA and calms the sympathetic nervous system down. It will be worth a try as so many supplements upset my gut...and this may also help for that as well.
Hello Lucy,
We're glad our Taurine article could help you find more information and hope it helps you combat feelings of stress. If you'd like to learn more about stress support, check out our other article here:
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/stress/
Have a healthy day.
Okay, so I knew about taurine being a (usually) nonessential amino acid (fun fact: so, you mention that newborn infants are an exception to this rule because they have yet to establish the pathways required for making taurine, so they need to obtain it in the diet; cat's are another exception to this rule!: see Pottenger's cats for some really interesting stuff on this). And, I knew severeal of the other facts that you shared. But, seeing taurine on energy drink labels, I thought it was energizing. I didn't realize that it was in fact to combat over excitation symptoms!
Hello Rachel,
Thank you for your comment and sharing your thoughts about taurine and our article. We love hearing from out interested readers. It's always fun to learn something new, especially about natural ways to enhance your well being. You can learn more about different amino acids in this article as well, https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/supplements/amino-acid-complex/
Stay healthy & well