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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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21.05.2022 |
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Taurine's mechanism of action revealed
If athletes take a gram of taurine before a training or competition, their endurance increases. A Japanese animal study, published in Amino Acids in the spring of 2022, clarifies exactly what taurine supplementation does in muscle cells. The substance improves fat burning, making muscles more economical with glucose.
Study
The control group [CON] had been given normal food and water for a period of 3 weeks prior to the session, while the rats in the experimental group [TAU] had been given drinking water in which the researchers had added a substantial amount of taurine.
If the rats had been adult humans, they would have consumed about 20 grams of taurine per day. That's a lot. Don't try this at home.
Results
Taurine supplementation thus increased endurance. Shortly after the session, the Japanese determined the concentration of glucose in the blood [BGC] of the test animals. They found no statistically significant differences between the groups.
The researchers were able to monitor the rats' glucose levels during the session. They found that taurine supplementation slowed the drop in glucose levels during intense exercise.
The figure below shows that taurine supplementation increased the concentration of free fatty acids [FFA] in the blood. This suggests that taurine increased the breakdown of body fat during exercise.
After the session, the Japanese not only found an increased concentration of taurine in the muscle cells [GC] of the rats that had been given taurine, but also increased concentrations of N-acetyl-taurine [NAT] and N-acetyl-carnitine [ACT].
Muscle cells produce N-acetyl-taurine and N-acetyl-carnitine during intense exercise. In muscle cells, these metabolites act as a reservoir of acetyl groups, which the muscle cell can use when it needs to convert fatty acids into energy. [Metabolites. 2021 Aug 6;11(8):522.]
The more N-acetyl-taurine and N-acetyl-carnitine the researchers detected in the muscles of the rats after the running session, the higher the glucose level in the animals' blood.
A new sport supplement?
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