home Go to Doctors Page
  • Products
    • Products A-Z
    • Dry Eye
    • Eye & Whole Body Health
      • OcularProtect® Robust Whole Body Formula
      • OcularEssentials® Whole Body Formula
    • Macular Health Concerns
      • MacularProtect Complete® AREDS-Based Formula & Multinutrient
      • MacularProtect® AREDS-Based Formula
    • Omega-3
    • Optic Nerve Health
    • Retinal Circulation
    • Bone & Joint Health
      • BoneProtect
      • JointProtect
  • Faqs
  • Resources
    • Staying Healthy Newsletter
    • EduFacts Newsletter
    • Product Monographs
    • Educational Links
  • About us
    • Company
    • Advisory Boards
    • Press Releases
    • In the News
    • Events
  • Contact
ScienceBased Health
1 888 433 4726
  • Doctor
  • Consumer
Facebook Twitter

Free Shipping with Auto-Delivery & Savings up to 20% with a Package Plan

more +
Auto-Delivery & Free Shipping!
Save money and add convenience! Your product(s) will be automatically sent to you each month
Select the "Auto Delivery" box at checkout.
Save Packages:
Save up to 20% & Free Shipping!
Purchase 3-5 bottles: save 5%
Purchase 6-11 bottles: save 12%
Purchase 12+ bottles: save 20%

phone

Menu
  • Products
    • Products A-Z
    • Dry Eye
    • Eye & Whole Body Health
      • OcularProtect® Robust Whole Body Formula
      • OcularEssentials® Whole Body Formula
    • Macular Health Concerns
      • MacularProtect Complete® AREDS-Based Formula & Multinutrient
      • MacularProtect® AREDS-Based Formula
    • Omega-3
    • Optic Nerve Health
    • Retinal Circulation
    • Bone & Joint Health
      • BoneProtect
      • JointProtect
  • Faqs
  • Resources
    • Staying Healthy Newsletter
    • EduFacts Newsletter
    • Product Monographs
    • Educational Links
  • About us
    • Company
    • Advisory Boards
    • Press Releases
    • In the News
    • Events
  • Contact
  • Login
  • View Cart
  • (0)
Facebook Twitter

Staying Healthy Newsletter

Spotlight on Taurine

Spotlight on Taurine

Spotlight on Taurine

Taurine: A Unique Amino Acid

Amino acids, when strung together, make up the proteins found in our diet. The bonds connecting these building blocks of protein are broken during digestion, releasing amino acids for absorption. Once absorbed, the amino acids can be re-assembled to form proteins of different shapes, sizes and properties that the body needs to repair tissue, form muscle, manufacture enzymes, produce immune cells and perform a host of other functions.

A few amino acids are also manufactured within the body in addition to being provided by the protein foods we consume. Taurine is one example. This amino acid occurs naturally in foods such as seafood, meats, poultry and eggs - although it can also be synthesized internally from two sulfur-containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine, in the presence of vitamin B6. Unlike most proteins, however, taurine is not incorporated into proteins or enzymes but is found as a free amino acid in body tissues. The chemical structure of taurine is also unique, making it well-suited to perform its physiologic functions.

Taurine "Wears Many Hats" in the Body

Taurine's role in the body is diverse: from working with bile acids to help digest and absorb fats, to its involvement in regulating water balance by helping to transport magnesium and potassium into cells. Taurine is found throughout the body, but is concentrated in muscle, where it is thought to help regulate heart beat and muscle contraction. Taurine has antioxidant activity, and is gaining attention for its potential clinical use in ischemia-reperfusion injury - the free radical damage that can occur when blood flow is restored to oxygen deprived tissue, such as after heart valve or coronary artery bypass surgeries. Researchers are also investigating taurine's involvement in mediating the inflammatory response.

Because taurine is needed for the development of retinal and nervous tissue, dietary sources are important for premature and newborn infants who can't manufacture sufficient amounts on their own and obtain taurine through breast milk. For those with chronic kidney, liver or heart failure, taurine is often considered a "conditionally essential" amino acid, which means that under certain conditions, diseases or injury, the body may not be able to make enough taurine to meet demands.

The Role of Taurine in the Eye

Taurine plays a role in the visual system of adults: it interacts with zinc to stabilize membranes and helps make photoreceptors (rods) in the retina, resistant to injury. Some also postulate a role for antioxidant taurine in helping to maintain clarity of the eye's lens, though this remains speculative.

In addition to taurine's function in the adult eye, new research has shed some light on how this amino acid helps to initially develop rod photoreceptors - the specialized light-gathering cells that line the retina. In the early 1990s, it was found that adding taurine to immature retinal cells could get more of them to turn into rods. Yet it was unclear what was making the cells susceptible to taurine's instructions. New findings from Harvard suggest that taurine works its transforming effects through neurotransmitter receptors, with similar findings reported by UC San Francisco researchers. According to the Harvard team, this discovery provides information that someday could lead to new methods of restoring or replacing these delicate cells, which are lost in various retinal diseases and decline with age.

Bibliography

  1. Kingston R et al. The therapeutic role of taurine in ischemia-reperfusion injury. Curr Pharm Des 10:2401-10, 2004
  2. Lourenco R and Camilo ME. Taurine: a conditionally essential amino acid in humans? An overview in health and disease. 17:262-70, 2002.
  3. Militante J and Lombardini JB. (Review) Age-related retinal degeneration in animal models of aging: possible involvement of taurine deficiency and oxidative stress. Neurochem Res 29:151-60, 2004.
  4. Militante JD and Lombardini JB. Taurine: evidence of physiologic function in the retina. Nutr Neurosci 5:75-90, 2002.
  5. Renteria RC et al. Need rods? Get glycine receptors and taurine. Neuron 41:839-41, 2004.
  6. Schuller-Lewis G. and Park E. (Review) Taurine: new implications for an old amino acid. FEMS Microbiol Letters 226:195-202, 2003.
  7. Young TL and Cepko CL. A role for ligand-gated ion channels in rod photoreceptor development. Neuron 41:839-41, 2004.
Home  >  General Webpages  >  Resources  >  Staying Healthy Newsletter Content  >  Staying Healthy Newsletter  > 

Stay Informed

Sign up to get nutrition news, health tips, and product updates.

Please also send me:
EduFacts scientific write-ups (monthly)
Notice of new products and special offers

Your information is never shared with third parties. View our privacy policy

Like Us on Facebook

Follow SBH on Facebook for great health tips, product info and much more.

Our Quality Guarantee

  • Products meet or exceed new GMPs
  • Produced in NSF®-certified facilities
  • Highest quality raw materials utilized
  • Third party testing
  • 30-day money-back guarantee (60 days for HydroEye)
Learn more »

More +

Innovative Nutraceuticals for Eye Health

ABOUT SSL
CERTIFICATES

This site chose VeriSign SSL
for secure e-commerce and
confidential communications.

Home | Feedback | Manufacturing | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us

Call us Toll Free 1.888.433.4726. From Outside the US and Canada 281.885.7700
©ScienceBased Health

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Top