I've seen Taurine recommended here on this forum. Watch out!

[www.globalhealingcenter.com]

"Studies have implicated synthetic taurine in illnesses ranging from high blood pressure to strokes and seizures to heart disease. For these reasons it’s been banned in some Scandinavian countries after being linked to the deaths of three consumers.

Because taurine is utilized by the body during exercise and in times of stress, it’s become a popular ingredient in energy drinks. But taurine has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system that’s very unnatural."

did a quick search

[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

powerlifer Wrote:
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> Hey Workoutman,
> You might want to look into taurine which is an
> amino acid that helps regulate fluid balance.
> Often found to be low in vegans also.
>
> Ill be back to post more later, just back from the
> football.
>
> [www.natuhealth.co.uk]

It doesn't cite anything other than speculation. Yes taurine is highly active in the brain so what?, taurine actually helps to stabilize the brains electrical activity, which is why some research has shown taurine supplementation to be helpful adjunct treatment for some types of seizures.

On the other hand i agree with them in regards to energy drinks and the sheer amount of taurine and caffeine many of these products contain, can be near unsafe levels. Especially if you drink multiple cans.

If your going to write an article like they have, you better have some reference data for your theories. They provide nothing, whilst there is a wealth of data on the health benefits of taurine supplementation, especially in those who are low and deficient like many vegans are.

"Taurine levels were found to be significantly lower in vegans than in a control group on a standard American diet. Plasma taurine was 78% of control values, and urinary taurine was 29%."

[www.natuhealth.co.uk]



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2012 05:47PM by powerlifer.

Haha look at you Panchito with your sour grapes all because i have a different opinion on your diet. A few snipes you've thrown my way the past few days.

Good question though and ive answered my opinions above.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2012 05:35PM by powerlifer.

Hey, I apologize about singeling you out. You help many people but you cannot always expect to be right (neither I am). Glad you are here with us.

Panchito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey, I apologize about singeling you out. You help
> many people but you cannot always expect to be
> right (neither I am). Glad you are here with us.

Hey no worries Panchito debate can get heated at times especially when we all have different opinions. There is no ego here questions are always welcome. I have very little ego and am more than happy to admit when im wrong, im just learning like everyone else on the forum here.

Onto taurine again there is a wealth of good studies on the benefits of taurine supplementation. I wish they had at least referenced some data but they provided nothing, which doesn't shock me as most of the side effects associated with taurine supplementation are caused by consuming excessively high dosages in people with existing seizures or health conditions.

Id love to see where they got that taurine can cause heart disease from, considering there are studies showing the benefits of taurine supplementation in some individuals with congestive heart failure and other heart conditions. Very poor article overall.

STUDY [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[www.natuhealth.co.uk]



Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2012 02:50PM by powerlifer.

Post timed out before i got to finish:

There is a mile of difference between taurine supplemenation and consuming energy drinks such as red bull which contain caffeine and often other compounds. I have no doubt that the latter could contribute to cardiovascular disease, especially if abused daily like many people do with these energy drinks.

[www.natuhealth.co.uk]

Isn't it just good common sense not to take anything created in a lab and isolated?

banana who Wrote:
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> Isn't it just good common sense not to take
> anything created in a lab and isolated?

Whilst that may be fine if you have a good level of general health, what about people with health problems, in which synthetic supplements have shown to beneficial ?. People suffering from serious deficiencies of nutrients often respond well to supplements such as Vitamin D deficiency. Its not ideal but its better than being deficient.

Sometimes supplements are the difference in quality of life for some. Personally i found taurine very helpful for when i was suffering from bile insufficiency and fat malabsorption issues. Taurine is a major component of bile acids.

If you can get something from a natural food source though it should be preferred. Unfortunately thats not always the case.

[www.natuhealth.co.uk]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2012 09:21PM by powerlifer.

In the example you gave, the Sun used to be "prescribed" as a cure for various ailments. If I am not mistaken, this is especially true for Brits living in such a dreary environment! Cat Stevens had TB, didn't he? I believe he went to Greece for it but I could be totally mistaken.

This year we had one full week of decent quality sun shine, i.e the heat many of you guys get over the pond on a daily basis. It is no wonder why many in the UK even who are exposed to sunlight daily are still in the low category for Vitamin D.

Studies here in the UK have shown Vitamin D to be low across of a broad spectrum of diets, although vegetarians and vegans have an increased risk. This is an example of where synthetic supplements may be helpful or possibly even essential to maintain health. We can't all afford or have time to go on a sunny holiday each year.

Many studies have found taurine supplementation to be helpful for controlling certain types of seizures due to stabilizing the brains electrical activity. Id rather try a more natural supplement such as taurine than often prescribed strong pharmaceutial sedatives which come with serious side effects. Often taurine isn't enough though, it has been shown to be a helpful adjunct treatment. Anyone interested in taurine should research themselves, there is a wealth of good studies on the health benefits of taurine.

Much like if i had high blood pressure, id rather try magnesium supplementation than pharmaceutical blood pressure medication which has a number of side effects including increased risk of heart failure. Thats not to say magnesium is effective for all causes of high blood pressure, but it would be my first try due to magnesium's effect at relaxing blood vessels.

Always consult a professional before adding any supplement to your diet.

[www.natuhealth.co.uk]



Edited 12 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2012 10:54PM by powerlifer.

Are you speaking of epileptics specifically? I know that they are often prescribed drugs which are "downers" or the like. And yes, I would agree that it's preferable to meds. I would just rather get to the bottom of why they are having the seizures in the first place!

banana who Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are you speaking of epileptics specifically? I
> know that they are often prescribed drugs which
> are "downers" or the like. And yes, I would agree
> that it's preferable to meds. I would just rather
> get to the bottom of why they are having the
> seizures in the first place!

Well yes what im talking about above would include epileptics. It can often take many months to get to the bottom of why and what type of seizures an individual is suffering from. I had a friend who suddenly started having seizures and it was a really horrible time for him. Months of different scans and tests, different medications to control the seizures and so on.

The seizures was just one example because i knew a friend go through it, the high blood pressure i added above in the post is another. Really like i say there is a large amount of examples of where synthetic supplements have been proven to be helpful.

This doesn't mean we should rely on them for health, or even that healthy people even need them. Diet and healthy lifestyle factors such as exercise, stress reduction, hydration, sunlight and adequate rest should always come first and are the basic foundation of health.

[www.natuhealth.co.uk]



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2012 11:11PM by powerlifer.