Interesting. WebMD listed no cited side effects from any study, and said it was generally well-tolerated (taurine). I found some side effects in a study of patients with renal failure (see below). And apparently it's used as a liver flush (the same goes for reishi). If it truly is flushing the liver, then one would expect to see changes in stool as toxins are flushed. And apparently the lack of taurine can cause liver disease, and taurine supplementation can not only prevent but reverse alcohol-related and non-alcohol related liver disease in both animals and children. I'm emphasizing this statement because it could be beneficial for people who may be alcoholics or have a form of liver disease. Here's the studies I pulled up on it:
Effect of taurine on alcoholic liver disease in rats.
Abstract
To investigate the effect of taurine on alcoholic liver disease in rats, male Wistar rats were administered alcohol intragastrically for 3 months. The effect of beta-alanine-mediated taurine depletion and taurine administration on the development of alcoholic liver disease was examined. It was found that taurine administration produced lower levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline aminotransferase than that of the untreated group. In addition, the levels of hepatic total protein, glutathione and superoxide dismutase were higher in the taurine treated groups than in the untreated control or the taurine depleted group, while hepatic malondialdehyde content exhibited the opposite effect. Moreover, the content of hepatic hydroxyproline, serum hyaluronic acid, interleukin-2, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and laminin were all decreased in the taurine treated group. The pathological changes showed that the percentage of fatty degeneration and inflammation in the taurine group were less than that of the control, taurine depleted and automatic recovery groups. These in-vivo findings demonstrate that hepatic disease caused by chronic alcohol consumption can be prevented and reversed by administration of taurine.
Effect of Taurine on the Fatty Liver of Children with Simple Obesity
This study elucidated the effect of taurine on fatty liver in simple obesity. Taurine was orally administered to 10 children with fatty liver. During taurine administration, the CT numbers of the liver, which were low in the beginning, increased. Serum ALT levels were improved, especially in those children whose weight was well controlled. Even in those who failed in weight control, serum ALT levels were slightly recovered. Ratios of glycine/taurine-conjugated bile acids were decreased. Thus, taurine was effective in treating fatty liver of children with simple obesity regardless of the success/failure of weight control. Taurine administration is considered to be helpful as an adjuvant therapy for fatty liver.
Chronic liver disease is triggered by taurine transporter knockout in the mouse
ABSTRACT Taurine is an abundant organic osmolyte with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. Its role in the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease is unknown. The liver phenotype was studied in taurine transporter knockout (taut−/−) mice. Hepatic taurine levels were ~21, 15 and 6 μmol/g liver wet weight in adult wild-type, heterozygous (taut+/−) and homozygous (taut−/−) mice, respectively. Immunoelectronmicroscopy revealed an almost complete depletion of taurine in Kupffer and sinusoidal endothelial cells, but not in parenchymal cells of (taut−/−) mice. Compared with wild-type mice, (taut−/−) and (taut+/−) mice developed moderate unspecific hepatitis and liver fibrosis with increased frequency of neoplastic lesions beyond 1 year of age. Liver disease in (taut−/−) mice was characterized by hepatocyte apoptosis, activation of the CD95 system, elevated plasma TNF-α levels, hepatic stellate cell and oval cell proliferation, and severe mitochondrial abnormalities in liver parenchymal cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction was suggested by a significantly lower respiratory control ratio in isolated mitochondria from (taut−/−) mice. Taut knockout had no effect on taurine-conjugated bile acids in bile; however, the relative amount of cholate-conjugates acid was decreased at the expense of 7-keto-cholateconjugates. In conclusion, taurine deficiency due to defective taurine transport triggers chronic liver disease, which may involve mitochondrial dysfunction.
Experimental evidence for therapeutic potential of taurine in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Abstract
The incidence of obesity is now at epidemic proportions and has resulted in the emergence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as a common metabolic disorder that can lead to liver injury and cirrhosis. Excess sucrose and long-chain saturated fatty acids in the diet may play a role in the development and progression of NAFLD. One factor linking sucrose and saturated fatty acids to liver damage is dysfunction of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Although there is currently no proven, effective therapy for NAFLD, the amino sulfonic acid taurine is protective against various metabolic disturbances, including alcohol-induced liver damage. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic potential of taurine to serve as a preventative treatment for diet-induced NAFLD. We report that taurine significantly mitigated palmitate-mediated caspase-3 activity, cell death, ER stress, and oxidative stress in H4IIE liver cells and primary hepatocytes. In rats fed a high-sucrose diet, dietary taurine supplementation significantly reduced hepatic lipid accumulation, liver injury, inflammation, plasma triglycerides, and insulin levels. The high-sucrose diet resulted in an induction of multiple components of the unfolded protein response in the liver consistent with ER stress, which was ameliorated by taurine supplementation. Treatment of mice with the ER stress-inducing agent tunicamycin resulted in liver injury, unfolded protein response induction, and hepatic lipid accumulation that was significantly ameliorated by dietary supplementation with taurine. Our results indicate that dietary supplementation with taurine offers significant potential as a preventative treatment for NAFLD.
Now, for the kidneys....
Taurine and the renal system Abstract
Taurine participates in a number of different physiologic and biologic processes in the kidney, often reflected by urinary excretion patterns. The kidney is key to aspects of taurine body pool size and homeostasis. This review will examine the renal-taurine interactions relative to ion reabsorption; renal blood flow and renal vascular endothelial function; antioxidant properties, especially in the glomerulus; and the role of taurine in ischemia and reperfusion injury. In addition, taurine plays a role in the renal cell cycle and apoptosis, and functions as an osmolyte during the stress response. The role of the kidney in adaptation to variations in dietary taurine intake and the regulation of taurine body pool size are described. Finally, the protective function of taurine against several kidney diseases is reviewed.
Accumulation of taurine in patients with renal failure
Sir,
The amino acid taurine (2‐aminoethanesulphonic acid) is present in high concentrations in mammalian tissues, especially skeletal muscle, heart and the central nervous system. Taurine has several beneficial physiological and biochemical effects in vitro and in vivo in experimental animals. It has cardiotonic actions, participates in osmoregulation, stabilizes the membrane potential in skeletal muscle, affects calcium ion kinetics, has antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties and acts as a neurotransmitter [1]. Clinical studies suggest that oral treatment with taurine improves symptoms and cardiac performance in humans with congestive heart failure [2].
Taurine is an ingredient in some so‐called energy drinks, which also contain caffeine, carbohydrate and B vitamins. Such drinks are taken to improve physical performance, although there is little evidence that taurine per se exerts any beneficial effects in healthy individuals or animals without taurine depletion. It has been suggested that daily intake for 3 weeks of 0.5 l Red Bull®, providing 2 g of taurine and 1.2 g of glucuronolacton, increases endurance time slightly at maximum intensive exercise level, compared with drinks containing the same ingredients as Red Bull® but without glucuronolacton and taurine [3]. Hence, the effect might have been due to either of these components.
Patients with end‐stage renal disease are reported to be taurine depleted with low plasma and muscle intracellular concentrations of taurine [4]. Since taurine depletion is potentially harmful for these patients, who frequently have heart failure, muscular fatigue and neurological symptoms, we decided to make an open, non‐randomized trial in ten chronic haemodialysis patients on the effect of daily oral taurine substitution for 10 weeks on various neurophysiological parameters, and plasma and muscle levels of taurine. The dose of taurine, 100 mg/kg/day, was similar to that previously used in human clinical trials [2]. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Karolinska Institutet at Huddinge University Hospital.
One patient completed the study with no symptoms or side effects. The second patient underwent kidney transplantation after 7 weeks of taurine, which was withdrawn immediately before transplantation. No symptoms that could be related to the intake of taurine were reported. The third patient completed the study but complained of dizziness at the end of it, which disappeared within 24 h after stopping the taurine intake. The fourth patient reported increasing dizziness and non‐rotatory vertigo and withdrew from the study after 2.5 weeks. The symptoms resolved within 24 h after discontinuing taurine. This patient was rechallenged after 3 days with half the dose of taurine (50 mg/kg/day) and the same symptoms recurred. The study was then immediately stopped before any new patient had been recruited. Results of taurine analyses of plasma and muscle before and at the end of the study were available in patients 1 and 3 but only initial values in patients 2 and 4, who withdrew from the study (Table 1).
Three of the patients were taurine‐depleted with markedly reduced muscle taurine concentrations and one patient (patient 1) had a marginally low level compared to the controls. After taurine treatment, the plasma levels in patients 1 and 3 had increased by 5513% and 1780%, respectively, and the muscle intracellular concentrations by 239% and 351%, respectively, i.e. far above the normal ranges. The accumulation of taurine was presumably due to lack of renal excretion, which in normal persons accounts for the excretion of excess taurine. The removal by haemodialysis was apparently insufficiently effective to control the body content of taurine. We conclude that the symptoms reported were caused by excessive extra‐ and intracellular accumulation of taurine. In keeping with this conclusion is the observation that withdrawal of taurine caused a rapid disappearance of the symptoms, which reappeared when one patient was rechallenged with taurine after a symptom‐free interval.
With this report we want to call attention to the risk of taurine administration to patients with renal failure and specially warn against the use of energy drinks such as Red Bull® and +Battery®, of which three cans of 33 ml/day provide 4 g of taurine (i.e. half the dose that caused excessive accumulation of taurine and neurological symptoms in our patients). Although the symptoms were relatively mild and rapidly disappeared after stopping the taurine intake, long‐term risks of excessive taurine accumulation cannot be ruled out. We strongly suggest that cans or bottles of energy drinks containing taurine should have a label, which warns against their use by patients with kidney failure.
From what I can gather from this last study, patients with renal disease can't properly process excess amounts of taurine through supplementation, and this may make the disease worse. However moderate intake of taurine in a healthy person without kidney disease, but with liver disease, can be highly beneficial, and taurine can actually protect the liver and possibly the kidneys. I will be doing further research of taurine on the kidneys before I supplement it again, and I'll post what I find here. 4 grams seems a bit excessive.
Taurine seems to have far more science backing up its longevity claims and its protective effects of major organs, along with regulating the neurotransmitter system. I really should start a thread on Taurine itself, as this is starting to look like the Holy Grail of amino acids, but I'll wait for now. I just wish reishi was as well researched as taurine.
Edited by VerdeGo, 02 May 2015 - 03:35 AM.