How could your favorite energy drink make you live longer? A new study reveals…

If you’re someone who enjoys energy drinks, you may have come across ‘taurine’ listed as an ingredient on the can.

Taurine is an amino sulfonic acid, a type of compound that is naturally found in meats, fish, and even within our own bodies.

Intriguingly, according to animal research published in the scientific journal ‘Science‘, this amino acid could potentially extend your lifespan by seven to eight years.

As we age, the taurine produced within our bodies starts to diminish, a trend observed across various species, including humans.

In a study conducted by Columbia University in New York, researchers observed middle-aged animals and discovered that replenishing their levels of taurine to what they were during their youth resulted in an increase in lifespan of over 10%.

The initial spark for this longevity research was a quest to identify the disparities between the young and the aged in the blood content of various species.

Remarkably, one of the most significantly reduced molecules in the elderly was found to be taurine.

To give you a picture, elderly individuals were found to have 80 percent less of this amino acid compared to their younger counterparts.

Though taurine is not typically found in plants and is generally derived from meat and fish, our bodies also have the capability to synthesize it.

In order to understand the impact of taurine on longevity, researchers administered a daily dose to mice that were 14 months old, equivalent to roughly 45 human years.

The results demonstrated that the mice not only experienced a longer lifespan, but their overall health seemed to improve as well.

“Whatever we checked,” adds Researcher Dr. Vijay Yadav, “taurine-supplemented mice were healthier and appeared younger.

“They were leaner, had an increased energy expenditure, increased bone density, improved memory and a younger-looking immune system.”

Additionally, if the findings from the mouse studies were extrapolated to humans, it could equate to an additional seven to eight years of life, as per the research team.

In their quest to further investigate these seemingly extraordinary results, the team expanded their study to include worms and monkeys.

However, the researchers made it clear that the function of taurine is to directly target the root mechanisms of aging.

Bearing this in mind, they proposed that taurine could be seen as a potential “life-extending elixir”.

While these results appear highly encouraging, it’s crucial to undertake comprehensive clinical trials. Such trials would involve some participants receiving the amino acid while others are given a placebo pill, in order to solidify the findings within a human context.

At this stage, it’s still uncertain as to why taurine has the ability to decelerate aging, and if its consumption could pose any risks.

Additionally, according to the team, distinct characteristics inherent to human biology might interfere with taurine’s effectiveness, or perhaps there exists an evolutionary explanation as to why taurine levels decrease with age.

Hence, they cautioned against the procurement of taurine supplements or consumption of energy drinks laden with this amino acid as a strategy to enhance longevity.

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