Prof. Frank Church has done a blog post on some recent Chinese research into the neuroprotective properties of Taurine, using a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.
Blog post: Neuroprotection with Taurine in a Parkinson's Model System.
Research paper 1 (open access): Taurine protects dopaminergic neurons in a mouse Parkinson's disease model through inhibition of microglial M1 polarization.
Research paper 2 (not open access): Taurine protects noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons in a mouse Parkinson's disease model by inhibiting microglial M1 polarization.
My doc recommended "1 scoop" as the dose daily of taurine, but i just took 2 capsules. Didnt notice any improvement so i stopped. Taking too many supplements already.
Didn't say why, just that it's helpful, along with a full page list of other suggestions such as bemers anf red lights. Hes the Dr that helped me get started on amino acid therapy. Great dr, just really far to drive to.
I hate journalistic pieces like this. Until there is a human clinical trial of taurine in people with PD, there is ZERO evidence for it's use in people with PD. If every treatment that worked in mice also worked in humans, no one would have PD.
The title of the thread includes the phrase "mouse model".
The final sentence of Prof. Frank Church's blog post says: "Hopefully, clinical trials will be started somewhere soon to determine the ability of taurine to provide neuroprotection in human Parkinson’s disease."
I humbly suggest that you are being overly sensitive.
I read carefully, but I am 'protective' of others who may not and get a false sense of hope from animal models. For suggesting therapeutic efficacy, these animal studies simply don't work.
Taking your two comments together, you seem to be saying that it would be best if articles/posts were written only after human trials have been completed, to protect the unwary/naïve from misunderstandings.
No, you can't be saying that. What have I misunderstood?
Taurine is found in the nervous system and muscles, It is thought to help regulate heartbeat, maintain cell membranes, and affect the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. The body can make it out of vitamin B6 and the amino acids methionine and cysteine. PD patients show reduced levels of cysteine and/or deficient/insufficient levels of Vitamin B6. Imbalances in vitamins, minerals and amino acids can exacerbate and accelerate the progression of the disease.
A recent Human study verifies the link of reduced Taurine levels with the severity of motor and non-motor symptoms of Levodopa treated PD patients ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/260...
*** Reduced plasma taurine level in Parkinson's disease: association with motor severity and levodopa treatment. ***
PURPOSE:
This study aimed to evaluate the level of taurine in plasma, and its association with the severity of motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS) and chronic levodopa treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD).
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Plasma taurine level was measured in treated PD (tPD), untreated PD (ntPD) and control groups. Motor symptoms and NMS were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Hamilton Depression Scale, the Scale for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease for Autonomic Symptoms and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Longtime exposure to levodopa was indicated by its approximate cumulative dosage.
RESULTS:
The plasma taurine levels of PD patients were decreased when compared with controls and negatively associated with motor severity but not NMS. Moreover, tPD patients exhibited lower levels of plasma taurine than ntPD patients. Interestingly, plasma taurine levels negatively correlated with cumulative levodopa dosage in tPD. After controlling for potential confounders, the association between taurine and levodopa remained significant.
CONCLUSION:
Our study supports that taurine may play important roles in the pathophysiology of PD and the disturbances caused by chronic levodopa administration.
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Lipid peroxidation is involved in neurological disorders including PD. A study on human red blood cells, show that Taurine significaly reduced the levels of lipid peroxidation.
“ Inhibition of lipid peroxidation, protein glycation and elevation of membrane ion pump activity by taurine in RBC exposed to high glucose.”
Besides the brain, PD may affect the peripheral system as well. Recent studies show that a-synuclein exerts prion-like behavior ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/290... which allows it to propagate in the peripheral system effecting heart, muscles, eyes and other body organs. Taurine plays an important role as a basic factor for maintaining cellular integrity in the heart, muscle, retina, and throughout the CNS ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... . One study compared taurine with coenzyme Q10 The results suggest that taurine is more effective for congestive heart failure ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/153...
But the question remains how much taurine can reach the brain and replenish the deficient levels found in the PD Patients
I follow and use supplements according to a foundation that is this: "cells are live and their function is chemically produce what the body needs, if there is a deficiency of a basic element will produce a poorer compound that will cause a dysfunction or a disease. Resolving the deficiency cells will solve the dysfunction. So the research for me should be focused on the deficiencies of the body and the substances that the body does not produce. Vitamins are good candidates ".The taurina? I do not think there can be a deficiency. But i can be wrong.
No hypothesis negates another unless proved otherwise.
PD and syndromes are progressive diseases. Certain supplements may offer prevantative support rather than used for treatment. It is well established that PD may cause autonomic dysfunctions and the likelihood is more prominent as the disease progresses. People with Parkinson’s are 2.27 times as likely to develop heart disease and have a 50% greater chance of dying from it. The main reason is mitochondria. Gene mutations in PD cause mitochondria dysfunction. The disease may affect mitochondria in the brain as well as the peripheral system. Heart muscle cells and neurons in the brain have huge numbers of mitochondria that must be tightly monitored. If bad mitochondria are allowed to build up, not only do they stop making fuel, they begin consuming it and produce molecules that damage the cell.
Missing link in Parkinson's disease found: Discovery also has implications for heart failure
Multiple studies suggest that Taurine may be involved in GABA modulation. This may partly explain the calming effect of Taurine. As PD is both Gabaminergic and Dopaminergic disease ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl..., If the exact mechanism is well established, it will have considerable implications in PD and other neurodegenerative diseases were GABA is involved.
Taurine is mainly found in dairy and meat products. Vegan diet may lack of this essential aminoacid. fda.gov/downloads/Food/Ingr...
Healthy people can synthesize Taurine by its precursor aminoacids Methionine & Cysteine. However PD patients are well known to have reduced level of cysteine.
Regarding the absorption of Taurine: Oral taurine is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
* Replenishing deficient levels of vitamins, minerals and aminoacids, while won't cure the disease, it will fuel the body with the appropriate nutrients to fight back the extensive damage caused by the disease
I'm not sure what went wrong when you tried to replace the copy+pasted Life Extension article with a link. Unless you clicked on the "delete" option rather than the "edit" option?
As you say, there is some good information in the article. I have no problem with you posting a link to it.
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