Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. A protein can consist of a few amino acids up to several thousand. Amino acids and minerals are needed for enzymes that are involved in driving all the body's processes.
The body wants to choose its own amino acids when building things . The protein from food must first be broken down in digestion before its amino acids can be absorbed from the intestine into the blood.
Even if an amino acid is not considered essential – vital to be supplied in the diet – the body gratefully receives a ready-made amino acid that it can directly use.
This explains why the function of our enzymes is dependent on a well-functioning digestion. The enzymes also need access to minerals in the right form. Minerals are like spark plugs on the enzyme engines, without them the enzymes cannot do their jobs.
Amino acids are important components of enzyme functions , as are the minerals. Therefore, supplementation of a certain amino acid in free form can provide support for special functions in the body. Where the amino acid is needed, the body picks it up and uses it in its construction. Energy smart!
It is common knowledge in health circles that the amino acid glutamine is an energy substrate for intestinal cells and muscles. Therefore, supplementation of glutamine can be valuable when the gut needs to heal, or when muscles have worked hard.
So what are the functions of taurine?
Taurine is a sulphur-containing amino acid and perhaps a bit of a mystery in the supplement world. But taurine can be of great use in the home pharmacy for common problems, if one does not need to seek professional care.
- Taurine is used in the metabolism of bile. Taurine allows cholesterol to be used where it is needed in the breakdown of fats and for the neutralization of toxins that the body gets rid of via the liver.
- Taurine is used in the metabolism of hormones and its metabolites*.
- Taurine is important for vision and blood sugar regulation.
- Taurine can improve blood flow in the blood vessels and generally support the heart and vessels.
- Some bronchodilators can reduce taurine and thus affect the heart.
- A lack of taurine can make you more sensitive to certain environmental toxins.
Facilitate bile flow
A trick that has solved many bile problems is to drink magnesium citrate or magnesium malate dissolved in water and take taurine at the same time. It can dissolve excess bile and allow it to move more easily through the bile ducts.
The trick is harmless if you follow the dosage on the can of taurine, but don't overdose. Magnesium citrate and magnesium malate, on the other hand, are difficult to overdose on. For a few days it is fine to take more than the recommended dose. Always drink more water.
Excessively high cholesterol levels in the blood can decrease, when cholesterol is used where it is needed. Avoiding taking strong painkillers is a big point, as many painkillers themselves reduce liver enzymes, which are needed for the turnover of bile - a Catch 22 that care recipients often end up in.
Magnesium helps the bile ducts to relax. Together with taurine, a gallstone attack can be averted or prevented. Having a can of taurine at home in the self-care cupboard is a good idea.
Taurine is found in animal protein: especially in shellfish, dark parts of turkey and chicken meat, and in beef. There is little taurine in algae.
*A metabolite is an intermediate step in the synthesis or breakdown of a substance in the body.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26710098/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470209/?report=classic
