Methylcobalamin is somewhat more bioavailable, its what I took in liquid form. However, for my capsules cyanocobalamin was easier to find as a 1% powder.
Taurine is an amino acid that, while not incorporated into proteins, is among the most abundant in the body. It appears to function as an osmoregulator, protect against glycation through scavenging activated carbonyls, stabilizes membranes, reduces ER stress, opposes glutamate induced excitotoxicity and calcium influx, and may be a neurotransmitter. Animal studies have found it protective against atherosclerosis, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and diabetic complications. Most interesting to me was the strong negative correlation between urinary taurine excretion and CVD mortality in the WHO-CARDIAC study.
While I don't believe taurine is solely responsible for this correlation, there's a mountain of animal studies that suggest it probably plays a role. Meanwhile, vegans have about 25% lower plasma levels than even Western omnivores. My 250 mg intake is 2000 μmol, about twice Western omnivore intakes.
Alas, as taurine is non-proprietary (and dirt cheap) there really hasn't been funding for long-term supplement trials in humans.
Yamori, Y., Liu, L., Mori, M., Sagara, M., Murakami, S., Nara, Y., & Mizushima, S. (2009). Taurine as the nutritional factor for the longevity of the Japanese revealed by a world-wide epidemiological survey. In Taurine 7 (pp. 13-25). Springer New York.
Laidlaw, S. A., Shultz, T. D., Cecchino, J. T., & Kopple, J. D. (1988). Plasma and urine taurine levels in vegans. The American journal of clinical nutrition,47(4), 660-663.
The next time I put together some carni-multis capsules, I may add 10 mg zinc/capsule, as this is the mineral vegans may have difficulty getting enough of.
Edited by Darryl, 23 January 2015 - 01:38 PM.