Sure didn’t help those ITP mice.
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ChatGPT (4o)
Here’s a tidy transcript summary, core takeaways, and a critique of the YouTube video titled:
“Taurine May Not Decline With Age + Cancer Link?” (by Siim Land)
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XGdrDQ-Uqw
Tidy Summary
1. New Findings on Taurine and Aging
- A recent 2024 Science study examined taurine levels across species (humans, non-human primates, mice).
- Contrary to earlier studies, taurine levels do not decline with age; in fact, they sometimes increase.
- Taurine levels vary widely between individuals. This inconsistency complicates the idea of using taurine as a universal aging biomarker.
2. Why Might Taurine Rise with Age?
- Compensatory response: Aging causes oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction; taurine may rise to counteract these effects.
- Kidney dysfunction: Aging reduces taurine excretion, leading to accumulation.
- Sex/body composition effects: Women (who live longer) have higher taurine levels and more fat mass, which might influence taurine dynamics.
3. Health Outcomes and Supplementation
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Higher blood taurine levels do not consistently predict health outcomes (e.g. strength, organ function, aging markers).
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But: Clinical trials show taurine supplementation benefits include:
- Improved metabolic health (e.g. blood pressure, blood sugar)
- Reduced inflammation
- Enhanced exercise performance
- Extended lifespan/healthspan in mice (15%/25% respectively)
4. Taurine and Leukemia
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A separate study linked taurine transporters (not taurine itself) to leukemia progression:
- In mice with leukemia, higher taurine transporter expression led to faster disease progression.
- Human leukemia patients with high transporter expression had worse survival.
- Suggests cancer may hijack taurine transporters to support its growth.
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Important caveat: There’s no evidence that taurine causes cancer. The transporter is upregulated by the disease.
5. Final Takeaway
- Taurine doesn’t promote aging or cause cancer.
- Taurine supplementation remains beneficial, especially for people with poor metabolic health.
- Avoid in cancer contexts cautiously, until more is known.
Key Conclusions
| Topic | Evidence Summary |
|---|---|
| Aging | No consistent decline in taurine with age; elevation may be compensatory |
| Health biomarkers | Circulating taurine not reliably linked to better or worse health outcomes |
| Supplementation | Improves metabolic, cardiovascular, and exercise metrics (clinical support) |
| Cancer (Leukemia) | Taurine transporter is upregulated in leukemia; no causality from taurine itself |
| Safety | Likely safe in healthy people; caution advised in active cancer (esp. leukemia) |
Critique
Strengths:
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Balanced interpretation: The speaker carefully distinguishes between taurine levels, transporters, and supplementation effects.
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Clear explanation of mechanistic ambiguity: Recognizes that elevation in taurine might reflect physiological compensation rather than pathology.
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Correctly addresses cancer concern: Clarifies that cancer uses taurine transport, but taurine itself is not a carcinogen.
Weaknesses:
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No mention of dosage thresholds: The discussion would benefit from addressing what doses were used in trials vs. common supplements. -
Speculative on transporter upregulation: While it’s plausible that cancers hijack transport systems, mechanistic details (e.g. signaling pathways or metabolic flux) are lacking.
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No reference to human interventional aging trials: The mention of an unpublished taurine-aging human trial could have been expanded (e.g. trial registration ID or study design).
Opportunities for Future Coverage:
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Detailed discussion of taurine kinetics (synthesis vs. dietary intake vs. excretion) -
Mechanistic comparison between taurine and other longevity interventions (e.g., glycine, carnosine, melatonin) -
Meta-analyses of taurine trials to better quantify effect sizes in humans
Would you like a literature review on taurine supplementation trials in humans or mechanistic pathways linked to its mitochondrial and anti-inflammatory effects?
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Nevertheless, the study looked only at natural taurine levels in the body, and not at whether supplements have any benefits. “That’s something that has yet to be tested,” he says.
Ahhh… and for me… think higher supplementation for a year… improved my bone density and gum/teeth health.
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I had a hunch that taurine might work synthetically with soluble fiber to lower cholesterol, and asked OpenAI’s o3 model to see whether it was plausible. Here was the result:
Both pieces of the puzzle work separately, and the biochemistry supports a complementary “make more bile acids, then lose them” loop.
However, direct experimental evidence for synergy is still missing. A short, well-controlled human trial with the measurements above could close that gap and clarify whether combining taurine with soluble fibre yields clinically meaningful extra LDL reduction – or whether FXR feedback, conjugation patterns, or GI tolerance limit the payoff.
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Thanks Vlasko… my N=1 says I am getting bone density improvement. Based on DEXA score before and with taurine.
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@Agetron But weren’t you also taking HGH? That can move the needle quite dramatically re: bone density.
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The DEXA better T score was with the only change in my medicine/supplements being taurine a year earlier. January 2024 to November 2024.
Started HGH this January 2025. Certainly it too can help bone density. I will see in the DEXA I take in 1.5 years if even better.
My insurance covers free DEXA every 2 years.
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TRT can also help with that. I know you’d already been on testosterone for a few years but it might take a while to show appreciable effects. Not dismissing the taurine connection. Just would love to see a clearer use case without other interventions known to improve bone density.
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True… but because I was on on TRT… for 5 years and rapamycin 4 years when first test came back showing osteopenia. I think it is not likely those benefitted to a sudden a change in the past 2 years. Pretty sure it was taurine.
I do more testing than many on this site… 
Not cheap tracking my past 5 years every 4 to 6 months.
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Here is the author of the 2023 taurine study chiming in with his take
https://x.com/vijayyadavlab/status/1934680200521904443?s=61
This story is not over. He mentioned they’re conducting a new double blind placebo controlled for half a year.
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