Written by Marcia J. Egles, MD. Studies show that taurine significantly reduces blood pressure and improves vascular function in prehypertensive individuals.
A new clinical trial from China finds that dietary supplementation with taurine, a semi-essential sulfur-containing amino-acid like compound found in eggs, meats and seafood, may help correct prehypertension (1). Although taurine has been shown to lower blood pressure in several hypertensive animal models, previous research in humans has yet to establish this benefit (5).
Since the 2003 report of the United States Joint National Committee for Hypertension (JNC 7), the term “prehypertension” has been used to refer to an elevation of blood pressure above normal, but not so high as to be deemed outright hypertension (2). Prehypertension is defined as a systolic pressure in the range of 120 to 139 millimeters mercury and/or a diastolic pressure from 80 to 89 millimeters mercury. A blood pressure of 140/90 or greater is considered hypertensive.
According to several studies (3, 4), prehypertension increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke as well as kidney failure. Early intervention in prehypertension may reduce the risk of developing these damaging diseases. Healthy diets and regular physical exercise are considered important strategies to treat prehypertension.
In this small twelve-week clinical study (1), 120 otherwise healthy adults (51 men and 69 women, mean age 56.7 years) with prehypertension were assigned to receive either taurine supplementation (1.6 grams per day) or placebo. Prehypertension was determined by three repeated measurements of blood pressure performed by a physician. The participants were asked to otherwise continue their usual diets and activities.
The study found that taurine did significantly (p-value less than 0.001) reduce blood pressure on average as compared to placebo, with reductions in measurements taken at clinic as well as reductions during 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. The mean systolic blood pressure reduction measured in the clinic for the taurine group 7.2 millimeters mercury as compared to the placebo group’s reduction of 2.6 millimeters mercury. The diastolic blood pressures in the taurine group were reduced on average 4.71 millimeters mercury (as compared to 1.3 millimeters mercury in the placebo group). For 24-hour monitoring, the mean blood pressure reductions for taurine/placebo were 3.8/0.3 millimeters mercury and diastolic 3.5/0.6 millimeters mercury.
The researchers concluded that the consumption of taurine-rich foods may hold promise for the reduction of prehypertension and its associated problems.
Source: Sun, Qianqian, et al. “Taurine Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Vascular Function in PrehypertensionNovelty and Significance.” Hypertension 67.3 (2016): 541-549.
Click here to read the full text study.
Posted April 28, 2016.
References:
- Sun, Qianqian et al. Taurine Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Vascular Function in Prehypertension- Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study, Hypertension, vol. 67, p541-549. March 2016.
- Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, et al. (May 2003). “The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure: the JNC 7 report”. JAMA 289 (19): 2560–72.
- Qureshi AI, Suri MF, Kirmani JF, Divani AA, Mohammad Y (September 2005). “Is prehypertension a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases?”. Stroke 36 (9): 1859–63. 2005.
- Vasan RS, Larson MG, Leip EP, et al. (November 2001). “Impact of high-normal blood pressure on the risk of cardiovascular disease”. N. Engl. J. Med. 345 (18): 1291–7. 2001.
- Wang J, et al. Amino acids modulate the hypotensive effect of angiotensin- (1-7) at the caudal ventrolateral medulla in rats. Regul Pept. 2005: 129: 1-7.
