Important roles of dietary taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline in human nutrition and health.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of biochemical and physiological mechanisms without primary human data or systematic synthesis
PubMed 32072297 · doi:10.1007/s00726-020-02823-6
What was done
This narrative review synthesized literature on the nutritional and physiological roles of five nitrogenous compounds abundant in beef and animal products: taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine, and 4-hydroxyproline. The authors evaluated their presence in food sources and their proposed mechanisms in metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, neurological, and muscular function.
What was found
The abstract reports that taurine, carnosine, anserine, and creatine are absent from plants, and hydroxyproline is negligible in most plant foods. It states that consumption of 30 g of dry beef can meet the daily physiological taurine and carnosine needs of a healthy 70-kg adult. No primary experimental numbers, trial statistics, or comparative human outcome data are reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
The paper outlines the biochemical functions of meat-derived amino acids and peptides, highlighting potential nutritional considerations for diets that exclude animal products.
Limits
This is a narrative review relying on mechanistic extrapolation rather than a systematic review of clinical trials. The abstract claims broad therapeutic and preventive benefits across diverse diseases without reporting primary clinical data or effect sizes.
Cited by
- supports Taurine, anserine, creatine, carnosine, vitamin B12, and 4-hydroxyproline are dietary nutrients that occur only in animal foods and are absent from plant sources.