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Taurine is a versatile amino acid that contains a sulfur group
rather than a carboxyl group. Don’t let the chemistry
jargon scare you; as you’ll soon read, taurine is a
multifaceted amino. Like glutamine, it can be described as
a jack-of-all-trades.
Q: What does taurine do?
A: Scientists identified a role for taurine in nutrition
only about 23 years ago. Taurine is involved in insulinlike
activity as well as detoxification, protection of cell membranes
regulation of blood pressure and the maintenance of structural
proteins in muscle.
Some scientists also consider taurine a conditionally essential
amino acid. Although we normally can make a certain amount
of taurine, a deficiency can manifest itself in functional
impairment of certain tissues; taurine may act as a growth
modulator. Nevertheless, the role of taurine in human nutrition
isn’t completely understood. But with its multiple functions,
it comes as no surprise that perhaps this amino can benefit
bodybuilders.
Q: Can taurine have an anabolic effect?
A: Certainly, from a bodybuilding standpoint, nothing
is more important than maintaining an anabolic state. Bodybuilders
eat 5-6 times per day and maintain a high protein and carbohydrate
intake while attempting to limit fat intake. They train intensely
and recover sufficiently in the hope of increasing muscle
protein. And of course, they take more supplements than any
other athlete. Glutamine, creatine, branched-chain aminos...
you name it, they consume it. Well, what about taurine? Can
it play a role in the bodybuilder’s arsenal of supplements?
More than 50 years ago, scientists discovered that taurine
had an effect similar to that of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism
it acted as a strong hypoglycemic agent. In 1964, this amino
was found to increase glucose utilization in the diaphragm
muscles of rats. You may be asking, Why is this important
to me?” Think about it: What hormone produces a drop
in blood-glucose levels and transports glucose into cells?
Insulin! Now, you may not agree with this, but some scientists
refer to insulin as “the anabolic hormone.” Indeed,
insulin promotes the influx of amino acids and glucose into
muscle tissue. The importance of insulin should be self-evident.
Taurine mimics the action of insulin both in vivo (in living
organisms) and in vitro (test tubes). In one experiment, it
stimulated glucose uptake into cells at 50% the capacity of
insulin. Insulin and taurine also similarly increase the uptake
of the amino acid proline into rat diaphragms. Interestingly,
the combination of insulin and taurine was no better than
either insulin or taurine by itself. Furthermore, like insulin,
taurine can stimulate the formation of glycogen in cardiac
muscle, certainly an important aspect of your training.
Q: Is taurine involved in cell volumization?
A: Maintaining a given cellular volume affects the
anabolic machiney of a given tissue or cell. In the liver,
for example, glycogen synthesis is stimulated by amino acids
and insulin via a mechanism that involves cell swelling. This
may also be true in skeletal muscle.
Cellular swelling can be evoked by exposure of a cell to what
scientists refer to as hypo-osmotic conditions. When a cell
is in a hypo-osmotic medium, fluid tends to move into the
cell, and this change in cell volume is associated with changes
in both glycogen and protein synthesis.
The involvement of taurine in volume regulation has been demonstrated
in the brain, cells in culture and nervous tissue. One experiment
on the effect of extracellular taurine on volume regulation
of cerebellar neurons (a type of brain cell) showed that as
taurine levels increased to a certain level, a swelling of
these cells occurred.
It isn’t clear how much taurine can affect cell volume
in skeletal muscle cells nor how physiologically important
taurine is in regulating muscle protein synthesis. Therefore,
don’t expect too much from taurine in terms of muscle
volumization.
Q: What effect does taurine have on skeletal muscle?
A: We know that a high concentration of taurine exists
in skeletal muscles. Since most taurine in skeletal muscle
is present as a free amino acid, a physiological role probably
exists. Taurine has been shown to participate in the excitation-contraction
coupling mechanism in skeletal muscle, which means that it
affects the transmission of an electrical signal into muscle
fibers. This has obvious importance in ensuring optimal muscle
performance.
Taurine has also been shown to prevent the decrease in structural
proteins present in skeletal muscle. In one rodent study,
researchers examined the gastrocnemius, soleus and extensor
digitorum longus (EDL) muscles after denervating (cutting
off the nerve supply) these muscles for up to 28 days. Interestingly,
the amount of taurine increased in certain denervated muscles.
For instance, in the EDL, a predominantly fast-twitch muscle,
denervation caused a near doubling of taurine concentration.
In the gastrocnemius, a mixed fast/slow-twitch muscle, taurine
increased, but much less than in the EDL. In the soleus, a
predominantly slow muscle, taurine concentration didn’t
change.
So a fiber type or muscle-specific response appears to exist
with regard to taurine; fast fibers are seemingly affected
more than slow fibers. The physiological importance of this
isn’t entirely clear, but keep in mind that in human
muscle, fast-twitch fibers seem to show the greatest growth
in response to resistance training. So it isn’t unreasonable
to expect taurine to aid in muscle-fiber growth when coupled
with intense training.
Q: Does taurine have an effect on the cardiovascular
system?
A: Since taurine is a multifaceted amino acid, you
shouldn’t be too surprised to learn that it affects
blood pressure. Researchers used rats bred to have high blood
pressure to study the effects of differing concentrations
of taurine on food intake, bodyweight and blood pressure.
Taurine was administered in the animals’ drinking water
either as a 1% or 3% solution over a period lasting eight
weeks.
The amino had no effect on body-weight and food intake, but
blood pressure decreased by the fourth week of treatment and
remained lower than the untreated group throughout the treatment
period. The 3% taurine solution had a greater effect on blood
pressure than the 1% solution. Taurine-treatcd animals had
significantly higher tissue levels in kidney and skeletal
muscle, yet levels in certain parts of the brain didn’t
change.
The physiological significance of the increased taurine levels
in these tissues is uncertain. While these findings may not
be particularly exciting for bodybuilders, they are important
for general health.
Q: How would you summarize taurine’s effects?
A: Taurine can he considered a conditionally essential
amino acid, similar to glutamine. It has numerous effects,
some of which could help bodybuilders. For example, it has
an insulinlike effect with regard to glucose and amino-acid
metabolism. In addition, it may play a role in fast-twitch
muscle growth. These effects have obvious implications for
bodybuilders. Taurine may also be involved in the regulation
of the volume in some cells as well as blood pressure.
Taurine can be made from the amino acids methionine and cysteine;
however, because certain stresses (free radical and oxidant
cell damage) may decrease levels of taurine, you may need
to take taurine as a regular part of a daily supplementation
program.
Related Articles
A Guide to L-Carnitine
Benefits Of BCAA
What Can Amino
Acids Do For Me?
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