By David Liu, PHD

Saturday March 17, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking taurine supplements or eating taurine rich foods may help more than taurine deficiency. It may also help prevent coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary artery disease in individuals with high serum cholesterol levels, according to a new study released online on Feb 10, 2012 by European Journal of Nutrition.

The study led by Oktawia P. Wojcik and colleagues of New York University in New York, New York showed that those who had high serum levels of taurine were up to 34 percent less likely to suffer coronary heart disease, compared to those who had low serum taurine levels.

Taurine, an organic acid and a major component of bile, can be found in the large intestine and accounts for about 0.1% of total human body weight.  Taurine is important for the heart, the skeletal muscle, the retina and the central nervous system.  It is involved in bile acid conjugation, blood pressure regulation, antioxidation and anti-inflammation, according to the authors of the study.

The study involved 223 cases of coronary heart disease and 223 matched controls, all of whom were enrolled in the New York University Women's Health Study.  Taurine was measured in two annually pre-diagnostic blood samples of all participants.

Taurine was found positively associated with age, dietary intake of poultry, niacin, vitamin B1, fiber, iron and negatively associated with dietary intake of saturated fat.

There was no association between serum taurine levels and coronary heart disease in the overall study population.  But an adjusted analysis revealed increased taurine levels were correlated with decreased risk for coronary heart disease.

The association was particularly significant among women with high total serum cholesterol ( greater than 250 mg/mL).  Among these participants, those whose serum taurine levels were in the highest tertile were 61 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease, compared to those whose levels were lowest.  The link was not found among those whose total serum cholesterol was low.

The researchers reported that "the data suggest a possible inverse association of serum taurine with diabetes and hypertension risk" and concluded that "the findings suggest that high levels of taurine may be protective against CHD among individuals with high serum cholesterol levels."

Taurine occurs naturally in food particularly in seafood and meat.  Daily intake from omnivore diets is in the range of 9 to 372 mg.   Strict vegan diets provide very low levels of taurine.  Other studies determined that daily intake was less than 200 mg per day or ranged from 40 to 400 mg per day.

Because taurine is important for the muscle, taurine supplements are often used by people who want to build the muscle.