Dietary taurine supplementation: hypolipidernic and antiatherogenic effects

Taurine supplementation may prove to be a safe and convenient method to reverse high blood cholesterol and the associated rise in atherosclerosis. Although human studies are limited, experiments using animal models provide extensive proof of the hypolipidemic and antiatherogenic effects of taurine. Examples of these animal models involve feeding with high-fat diets, genetically determined or heritable disease conditions, and artificially induced or genetic diabetes. Most importantly, the addition of taurine to the diet clearly has effects against pathological increases in serum and liver cholesterol and triglycerides. Another consistent and noteworthy effect of taurine is the simulation of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity, the enzyme that is responsible for the catabolism of cholesterol into bile acids. Taurine also exhibited considerable effects on atherosclerotic lipid accumulation, perhaps through an antioxidative mechanism and through the elevation of HDL cholesterol levels. Data from animal model systems support the specific cardiovascular benefits of taurine, and hopefully, this research will be continued in human studies in the future. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.