Taurine deficiency associated with dilated cardiomyopathy and aging.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing animal models, genetic associations, and mechanistic reasoning without original human data.
PubMed 38395518 · doi:10.1016/j.jphs.2023.12.006
What was done
This narrative review summarizes evidence regarding the physiological roles of taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) in cardiac function—including intracellular ion regulation, calcium handling, and antioxidant activity—and examines the consequences of dietary and genetic taurine deficiency (such as mutations in the taurine transporter TauT/Slc6a6) on dilated cardiomyopathy and aging processes across species.
What was found
Intracellular cardiac taurine concentration is approximately 20 mM, which is roughly 100-fold higher than plasma levels. In species with low synthesis capacity (cats, foxes), dietary taurine deficiency leads to dilated cardiomyopathy and blindness. In humans, dietary links remain unclear, but genetic mutations affecting the taurine transporter are linked to dilated cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, taurine levels decline with age, and supplementation or deficiency correlates with lifespan changes in worms and mice, as well as healthspan alterations in mice and monkeys. The abstract reports no statistical effect sizes or quantitative clinical outcomes.
Why it matters
The review maps out the dual relevance of taurine biology, framing intracellular taurine maintenance via TauT as essential for myocardial integrity and highlighting taurine depletion as a conserved biomarker and potential modulator of biological aging.
Limits
The abstract outlines a broad narrative review rather than a systematic review or meta-analysis. Most causal longevity and healthspan findings derive from non-human models (worms, mice, monkeys), and the direct causal role of dietary taurine deficiency in human cardiomyopathy remains unestablished.
Cited by
- supports Taurine is one of the most abundant free amino acids in human heart muscle.