Is the nutrient taurine really a key to healthy aging?

Scientists have long been trying to discover whether the popular supplement taurine can slow aging. A new study raises questions about the nutrient for longevity.

Scientists have long been trying to discover whether the popular supplement taurine can slow aging.

Evidence had suggested that levels of the nutrient found in meat and shellfish declined after midlife in people, meaning that taurine might be considered a marker for healthy aging. A 2023 international study confirmed that taurine decreased with age and then showed that taurine supplements could slow the aging process in several species of animals.

Now, a new study published in Science on Thursday found that taurine levels did not decline with age but, rather, were unchanged throughout adult life or even increased in some older people.

The seeming contradiction suggests that taurine measurements wouldn’t be an indicator for longevity and raises questions about its use as an anti-aging supplement. After expecting to find that higher taurine levels in the blood protected against inflammation or some chronic diseases, the finding surprised even the authors of the new study.

“We did this study to confirm what the first had done,” co-author Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director at National Institute on Aging, said in a press briefing. “Our purpose was really not to find the exact same association, but to find a strengthening.”