A key ingredient commonly used in energy drinks could slow down the body’s ageing process, a study has found.
Taurine - a chemical typically found in energy drinks like Red Bull - has been found to increase the lifespan of mice and now, researchers want to trial it out with humans.
Experts say that the chemical - which does occur naturally in the body and is often found in foods with protein like fish or meat - could be an ‘elixir of life’ and essentially, help us to live longer.
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A team of researchers at New York’s Columbia University found that taurine levels fell by 80 percent over the human lifespan.
But, when they topped them up to more youthful levels, middle-aged mice’s healthy lifespans expanded by up to a extra three to four months – the equivalent of about seven or eight human years.
And when tested on monkeys, the top-up of taurine improved their health in a number of areas.
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During the research trial, they found that the life span of mice fed taurine increased by 10 percent to 12 percent, with life expectancy in cases increased by 18 percent to 25 percent.
Published in Science, the study says: “Taurine abundance decreases during aging. A reversal of this decline through taurine supplementation increases health span and life span in mice and worms and health span in monkeys.
"This identifies taurine deficiency as a driver of aging in these species. Reversal of taurine deficiency during aging may be a promising anti-aging strategy.
"Given that taurine has no known toxic effects in humans (though rarely used in concentrations used here), can be administered orally, and affects all the major hallmarks of aging, human trials are warranted to examine whether taurine supplementation increases healthy life span in humans.”
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Dr Vijay Yadav, the leader of the research team said: “This study suggests that taurine could be an elixir of life within us that helps us live longer and healthier lives.”
They said that while it’s unclear whether or not we’d benefit in the same way as the animals did, there should be a large-scale trail to see if our lifespans could be affected by taurine.
The team don’t know if supplements of the chemical could improve longevity for humans, but when they looked at levels of taurine in a group of adults, they found those with higher levels were healthier.
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And those with lower levels suffered from the likes of Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Professor Henning Wackerhage from the University of Munich said: “What we really need now is a human intervention study. We are raring to go.”
But it is not recommended by scientists that people start boosting their taurine intake with energy drinks, diet changes or pills.
Jess Battison