The adverse effects of taurine on our microbiome and hydrogen sulfide production may be ameliorated by diets high in fiber and low in saturated fats.
Like Beet Juice, Taurine Supplementation May Only Be Safe in the Context of a Plant-Based Diet
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
In my last videos, I mentioned how the best choice might be to eat a healthy plant-based diet with supplemental taurine. But it’s possible that taking taurine—whether from bulk powder, supplements, energy drinks, or even shellfish—may only be safe in the context of a healthy plant-based diet.
In the remarkable study that launched this video series, taurine supplementation of lab animals increased their lifespan and/or healthspan. However, the impact of taurine dietary supplementation on the gut microbiome was not addressed. Oral administration of taurine results in the increase of taurine-conjugated bile acids––for example, quadrupling the percentage of taurocholic acid. That’s not good, because higher levels of taurocholic acid in humans are associated with a shorter lifespan.
For each standard deviation increase in a measure of taurocholate, which is just buffered taurocholic acid, the odds of achieving longevity in humans appears to decrease by almost 40 percent––a 37 percent lower chance of making it to age 80.
What happens is the metabolism of these taurine conjugated bile acids by our gut microbes generates the rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, which doesn’t just give you smelly farts, but is a DNA-damaging compound. So, hydrogen sulfide could be a significant bacterial metabolite that initiates colon cancer. And that’s just the half of it. Taurocholic acid gets split into taurine and cholic acid. The taurine goes on to produce hydrogen sulfide, which is pro-inflammatory and could trigger DNA mutations, and the cholic acid gets turned into a toxic so-called secondary bile acid called deoxycholic acid, known as DCA, which also produces inflammation and can promote growing tumors. So, gut microbes can metabolize the taurocholic acid into hydrogen sulfide and DCA, which are genotoxins and tumor promoters, respectively, and could intensify aging symptoms in the host. Therefore, consumption of a diet low in taurine may contribute to the reduced frequency of cancer.
Taurine can promote the growth of taurine-metabolizing bacteria, Bilophila wadsworthia, which thrive on taurine. Those bacteria take the taurine and turn it into hydrogen sulfide, which is linked to a weaker colonic mucus barrier, inflammatory bowel disease, and colorectal cancer. So, it’s not just cancer; the increased taurocholate caused by taurine supplementation is associated with reduced lifespan in humans in the absence of any relation to risk to cardiovascular disease or cancer.
But the effects of hydrogen sulfide can be stopped. The cells that line our colon express protective enzymes that can detoxify hydrogen sulfide. How can we boost those enzymes? Butyrate boosts these detoxification enzymes, protecting our cells from the sulfide gas. Remember butyrate? That’s what our good gut bugs make from fiber. So, there’s this struggle between the sulfide made by bad bugs in our gut versus the butyrate made by the good bugs in our gut. Hydrogen sulfide can cause hyperproliferation, a signal of potential colon cancer development, but it can be reversed if you drip on some butyrate, like you would get naturally by just eating a high-fiber diet.
That’s just half of the protection, though. The sulfur-containing amino acids, like taurine, and diets high in animal protein aren’t the only factors that select for the bad bacteria that create the toxic tumor-promoting secondary bile acids; there’s also the animal fat. When people were given taurine, like the half a gram three times a day I suggested in my last video, there was a marked increase in the proportion of taurine-conjugated bile acids––but what we care about is how many are actually excreted into our gut.
This is how it’s envisioned. On an animal-based diet, not only is there more taurine, leading to a higher ratio of taurine-conjugated bile acids, but also more bile secretion owing to the higher fat consumption.
High-fat diets are associated with increased taurine conjugation in humans, But not just any fat: specifically saturated fat. Consumption of a diet high in saturated fat, in this case butter fat, but not vegetable oil fat, promotes the expansion of the hydrogen sulfide-generating bad bacteria, and effects are mediated by milk-fat promoted taurine-conjugation bile acids. So, to counter any negative effects of excess taurine consumption, we should eat a high-fiber diet low in saturated fat––in other words, a diet centered around whole plant foods.
It reminds me of the whole vegetable nitrate strategy to boost athletic performance and slow muscle and artery aging, or slow aging period by reducing our resting metabolic rate. As I discuss in my book, How Not to Age, the nitrate strategy may only be safe in the context of a plant-based diet.
If you feed people an amine-rich diet––in other words a single meal a day with cod, salmon, shrimp or pollack––along with the nitrate equivalent of half a cup (120 ml) of beet juice, you get a big jump in the amount of carcinogenic nitrosamines flowing through your system. You get a similar reaction combining the same amount of beet juice equivalents with poultry: chicken and turkey breasts. The nitrates turn into nitrites, which mix with the amines and amides concentrated in animal foods to form carcinogenic nitrosamines and nitrosamides, doubling levels within a week. This explains why having omnivores drink a single bottle of beet juice can lead to a significant rise in these carcinogenic compounds flowing through their system within 24 hours. But what are the inhibitors of this reaction for cancer prevention? Vitamin C, polyphenols, and other antioxidants found in plant foods. So, we can add some vitamin C to that beet juice, and there’s less of a problem. Just like a healthy plant-based diet may be necessary to take safe advantage of nitrate supplementation, a healthy plant-based diet may also be necessary to take safe advantage of any potential benefits of taurine supplementation.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Singh P, Gollapalli K, Mangiola S, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023;380(6649):eabn9257.
- Shao A, Hathcock JN. Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008;50(3):376-399.
- Pimenta AI, Bernardino RM, Pereira IAC. Role of sulfidogenic members of the gut microbiota in human disease. Adv Microb Physiol. 2024;85:145-200.
- Tanno N, Oikawa S, Koizumi M, et al. Effect of taurine administration on serum lipid and biliary lipid composition in man. Tohoku J Exp Med. 1989;159(2):91-99.
- Fogelson KA, Dorrestein PC, Zarrinpar A, Knight R. The gut microbial bile acid modulation and its relevance to digestive health and diseases. Gastroenterology. 2023;164(7):1069-1085.
- Cheng S, Larson MG, McCabe EL, et al. Distinct metabolomic signatures are associated with longevity in humans. Nat Commun. 2015;6:6791.
- Ridlon JM, Wolf PG, Gaskins HR. Taurocholic acid metabolism by gut microbes and colon cancer. Gut Microbes. 2016;7(3):201-215.
- Duszka K. Versatile triad alliance: bile acid, taurine and microbiota. Cells. 2022;11(15):2337.
- Khan S, Aziz S, Waqas M, Kakar MA, Ahmad S. Targeted vaccine development against Bilophila wadsworthia to curb colon diseases: A multiepitope approach based on reverse vaccinology and computational analysis. Int J Biol Macromol. 2023;250:126002.
- Ramasamy S, Singh S, Taniere P, Langman MJS, Eggo MC. Sulfide-detoxifying enzymes in the human colon are decreased in cancer and upregulated in differentiation. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2006;291(2):G288-296.
- Hassig CA, Tong JK, Schreiber SL. Fiber-derived butyrate and the prevention of colon cancer. Chem Biol. 1997;4(11):783-789.
- Christl SU, Eisner HD, Dusel G, Kasper H, Scheppach W. Antagonistic effects of sulfide and butyrate on proliferation of colonic mucosa: a potential role for these agents in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. Dig Dis Sci. 1996;41(12):2477-2481.
- Sjovall J. Dietary glycine and taurine on bile acid conjugation in man; bile acids and steroids 75. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1959;100(4):676-678.
- Devkota S, Wang Y, Musch MW, et al. Dietary-fat-induced taurocholic acid promotes pathobiont expansion and colitis in Il10-/- mice. Nature. 2012;487(7405):104-108.
- Larsen FJ, Schiffer TA, Ekblom B, et al. Dietary nitrate reduces resting metabolic rate: a randomized, crossover study in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(4):843-850.
- Vermeer IT, Pachen DM, Dallinga JW, Kleinjans JC, van Maanen JM. Volatile N-nitrosamine formation after intake of nitrate at the ADI level in combination with an amine-rich diet. Environ Health Perspect. 1998;106(8):459-463.
- van Breda SG, Mathijs K, Sági-Kiss V, et al. Impact of high drinking water nitrate levels on the endogenous formation of apparent N-nitroso compounds in combination with meat intake in healthy volunteers. Environ Health. 2019;18(1):87.
- Berends JE, van den Berg LMM, Guggeis MA, et al. Consumption of nitrate-rich beetroot juice with or without vitamin c supplementation increases the excretion of urinary nitrate, nitrite, and n-nitroso compounds in humans. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(9):2277.
- Bartsch H, Ohshima H, Pignatelli B. Inhibitors of endogenous nitrosation. Mechanisms and implications in human cancer prevention. Mutat Res. 1988;202(2):307-324.
Motion graphics by Avo Media
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
In my last videos, I mentioned how the best choice might be to eat a healthy plant-based diet with supplemental taurine. But it’s possible that taking taurine—whether from bulk powder, supplements, energy drinks, or even shellfish—may only be safe in the context of a healthy plant-based diet.
In the remarkable study that launched this video series, taurine supplementation of lab animals increased their lifespan and/or healthspan. However, the impact of taurine dietary supplementation on the gut microbiome was not addressed. Oral administration of taurine results in the increase of taurine-conjugated bile acids––for example, quadrupling the percentage of taurocholic acid. That’s not good, because higher levels of taurocholic acid in humans are associated with a shorter lifespan.
For each standard deviation increase in a measure of taurocholate, which is just buffered taurocholic acid, the odds of achieving longevity in humans appears to decrease by almost 40 percent––a 37 percent lower chance of making it to age 80.
What happens is the metabolism of these taurine conjugated bile acids by our gut microbes generates the rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide, which doesn’t just give you smelly farts, but is a DNA-damaging compound. So, hydrogen sulfide could be a significant bacterial metabolite that initiates colon cancer. And that’s just the half of it. Taurocholic acid gets split into taurine and cholic acid. The taurine goes on to produce hydrogen sulfide, which is pro-inflammatory and could trigger DNA mutations, and the cholic acid gets turned into a toxic so-called secondary bile acid called deoxycholic acid, known as DCA, which also produces inflammation and can promote growing tumors. So, gut microbes can metabolize the taurocholic acid into hydrogen sulfide and DCA, which are genotoxins and tumor promoters, respectively, and could intensify aging symptoms in the host. Therefore, consumption of a diet low in taurine may contribute to the reduced frequency of cancer.
Taurine can promote the growth of taurine-metabolizing bacteria, Bilophila wadsworthia, which thrive on taurine. Those bacteria take the taurine and turn it into hydrogen sulfide, which is linked to a weaker colonic mucus barrier, inflammatory bowel disease, and colorectal cancer. So, it’s not just cancer; the increased taurocholate caused by taurine supplementation is associated with reduced lifespan in humans in the absence of any relation to risk to cardiovascular disease or cancer.
But the effects of hydrogen sulfide can be stopped. The cells that line our colon express protective enzymes that can detoxify hydrogen sulfide. How can we boost those enzymes? Butyrate boosts these detoxification enzymes, protecting our cells from the sulfide gas. Remember butyrate? That’s what our good gut bugs make from fiber. So, there’s this struggle between the sulfide made by bad bugs in our gut versus the butyrate made by the good bugs in our gut. Hydrogen sulfide can cause hyperproliferation, a signal of potential colon cancer development, but it can be reversed if you drip on some butyrate, like you would get naturally by just eating a high-fiber diet.
That’s just half of the protection, though. The sulfur-containing amino acids, like taurine, and diets high in animal protein aren’t the only factors that select for the bad bacteria that create the toxic tumor-promoting secondary bile acids; there’s also the animal fat. When people were given taurine, like the half a gram three times a day I suggested in my last video, there was a marked increase in the proportion of taurine-conjugated bile acids––but what we care about is how many are actually excreted into our gut.
This is how it’s envisioned. On an animal-based diet, not only is there more taurine, leading to a higher ratio of taurine-conjugated bile acids, but also more bile secretion owing to the higher fat consumption.
High-fat diets are associated with increased taurine conjugation in humans, But not just any fat: specifically saturated fat. Consumption of a diet high in saturated fat, in this case butter fat, but not vegetable oil fat, promotes the expansion of the hydrogen sulfide-generating bad bacteria, and effects are mediated by milk-fat promoted taurine-conjugation bile acids. So, to counter any negative effects of excess taurine consumption, we should eat a high-fiber diet low in saturated fat––in other words, a diet centered around whole plant foods.
It reminds me of the whole vegetable nitrate strategy to boost athletic performance and slow muscle and artery aging, or slow aging period by reducing our resting metabolic rate. As I discuss in my book, How Not to Age, the nitrate strategy may only be safe in the context of a plant-based diet.
If you feed people an amine-rich diet––in other words a single meal a day with cod, salmon, shrimp or pollack––along with the nitrate equivalent of half a cup (120 ml) of beet juice, you get a big jump in the amount of carcinogenic nitrosamines flowing through your system. You get a similar reaction combining the same amount of beet juice equivalents with poultry: chicken and turkey breasts. The nitrates turn into nitrites, which mix with the amines and amides concentrated in animal foods to form carcinogenic nitrosamines and nitrosamides, doubling levels within a week. This explains why having omnivores drink a single bottle of beet juice can lead to a significant rise in these carcinogenic compounds flowing through their system within 24 hours. But what are the inhibitors of this reaction for cancer prevention? Vitamin C, polyphenols, and other antioxidants found in plant foods. So, we can add some vitamin C to that beet juice, and there’s less of a problem. Just like a healthy plant-based diet may be necessary to take safe advantage of nitrate supplementation, a healthy plant-based diet may also be necessary to take safe advantage of any potential benefits of taurine supplementation.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Singh P, Gollapalli K, Mangiola S, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023;380(6649):eabn9257.
- Shao A, Hathcock JN. Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008;50(3):376-399.
- Pimenta AI, Bernardino RM, Pereira IAC. Role of sulfidogenic members of the gut microbiota in human disease. Adv Microb Physiol. 2024;85:145-200.
- Tanno N, Oikawa S, Koizumi M, et al. Effect of taurine administration on serum lipid and biliary lipid composition in man. Tohoku J Exp Med. 1989;159(2):91-99.
- Fogelson KA, Dorrestein PC, Zarrinpar A, Knight R. The gut microbial bile acid modulation and its relevance to digestive health and diseases. Gastroenterology. 2023;164(7):1069-1085.
- Cheng S, Larson MG, McCabe EL, et al. Distinct metabolomic signatures are associated with longevity in humans. Nat Commun. 2015;6:6791.
- Ridlon JM, Wolf PG, Gaskins HR. Taurocholic acid metabolism by gut microbes and colon cancer. Gut Microbes. 2016;7(3):201-215.
- Duszka K. Versatile triad alliance: bile acid, taurine and microbiota. Cells. 2022;11(15):2337.
- Khan S, Aziz S, Waqas M, Kakar MA, Ahmad S. Targeted vaccine development against Bilophila wadsworthia to curb colon diseases: A multiepitope approach based on reverse vaccinology and computational analysis. Int J Biol Macromol. 2023;250:126002.
- Ramasamy S, Singh S, Taniere P, Langman MJS, Eggo MC. Sulfide-detoxifying enzymes in the human colon are decreased in cancer and upregulated in differentiation. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2006;291(2):G288-296.
- Hassig CA, Tong JK, Schreiber SL. Fiber-derived butyrate and the prevention of colon cancer. Chem Biol. 1997;4(11):783-789.
- Christl SU, Eisner HD, Dusel G, Kasper H, Scheppach W. Antagonistic effects of sulfide and butyrate on proliferation of colonic mucosa: a potential role for these agents in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. Dig Dis Sci. 1996;41(12):2477-2481.
- Sjovall J. Dietary glycine and taurine on bile acid conjugation in man; bile acids and steroids 75. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1959;100(4):676-678.
- Devkota S, Wang Y, Musch MW, et al. Dietary-fat-induced taurocholic acid promotes pathobiont expansion and colitis in Il10-/- mice. Nature. 2012;487(7405):104-108.
- Larsen FJ, Schiffer TA, Ekblom B, et al. Dietary nitrate reduces resting metabolic rate: a randomized, crossover study in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(4):843-850.
- Vermeer IT, Pachen DM, Dallinga JW, Kleinjans JC, van Maanen JM. Volatile N-nitrosamine formation after intake of nitrate at the ADI level in combination with an amine-rich diet. Environ Health Perspect. 1998;106(8):459-463.
- van Breda SG, Mathijs K, Sági-Kiss V, et al. Impact of high drinking water nitrate levels on the endogenous formation of apparent N-nitroso compounds in combination with meat intake in healthy volunteers. Environ Health. 2019;18(1):87.
- Berends JE, van den Berg LMM, Guggeis MA, et al. Consumption of nitrate-rich beetroot juice with or without vitamin c supplementation increases the excretion of urinary nitrate, nitrite, and n-nitroso compounds in humans. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(9):2277.
- Bartsch H, Ohshima H, Pignatelli B. Inhibitors of endogenous nitrosation. Mechanisms and implications in human cancer prevention. Mutat Res. 1988;202(2):307-324.
Motion graphics by Avo Media
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Like Beet Juice, Taurine Supplementation May Only Be Safe in the Context of a Plant-Based Diet
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Content URLDoctor's Note
That was a lot, I know, so let me try to break it down a bit. Taurine is turned into the “rotten egg” gas hydrogen sulfide. (You’ll smell it coming out of your rear should you decide to try it.) It doesn’t just stink, but it does damage DNA. However, the byproducts of fiber metabolism can counteract the damage caused by hydrogen sulfide. That’s where a high-fiber diet comes in, so eat lots of legumes and whole grains. Then there’s the saturated fat that promotes the growth of the bad bacteria that generate hydrogen sulfide and more of the cancer-promoting secondary bile acids. So, just as you should not be doping with beet juice or nitrate supplements unless you’re eating plant-based, you probably shouldn’t supplement with taurine unless you’re on a plant-predominant diet. In fact, it might not be a good idea to supplement with taurine at all—unless the benefits seen in rodents and monkeys translate to humans, possibly making it a great idea. Recently, new research questioned a fundamental pillar of the taurine anti-aging narrative: Taurine levels don’t appear to decrease with age after all, challenging the underlying logic of supplementation.
This was the last video in a seven-part series on taurine. If you missed the previous ones, check out:
- What Is Taurine in Energy Drinks? Does It Benefit Cognitive or Athletic Performance?
- Taurine Supplementation Increases Lifespan and Healthspan in Animals
- Randomized Controlled Trials of Taurine Supplementation in Humans
- Caveats and Side Effects of Taurine Supplements
- The Best Daily Dose of Taurine
- Where to Find Taurine and the Best Source
For more on longevity, go to your local public library and check out my book, How Not to Age, available in print, e-book, and audio. (All proceeds I receive from the book are donated directly to charity.)
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