ID 1659 - Tauryna

PL: Tauryna
EN: Taurine
Pdf: taurine

Oświadczenie (2)

1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika

The food constituent that is the subject of the health claims is taurine (2-amino-ethanesulfonic acid). Taurine is a well recognised nutrient and is measurable in foods by established methods.
Taurine occurs naturally in foods of animal origin and is generally absent from foods of plant origin.
The Panel considers that the food constituent, taurine, which is the subject of the health claims, is sufficiently characterised.

2.3. Udział w prawidłowym przebiegu procesów poznawczych (ID 1659)

The claimed effect is “cognitive function/mental health”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
Cognitive function includes memory, attention (concentration), learning, intelligence and problem solving, which are well defined constructs and which can be measured by validated psychometric cognitive tests.
The Panel considers that contribution to normal cognitive function is a beneficial physiological effect.

3. Naukowe uzasadnienia wpływu na zdrowie człowieka

Taurine is synthesised in the body from sulphur containing amino acids, especially from cysteine, by oxidation of the sulphur function and decarboxylation. This last step is rate limiting. Compensatory
mechanisms for dietary taurine deprivation (e.g. in vegans) include alteration of the bile salt glycine/taurine ratio, decrease in whole body taurine turnover and reduction of urinary excretion of taurine (Kendler, 1989). Taurine concentrations in tissues, particularly in the brain, are largely independent of taurine intakes. However, endogenous synthesis and usual consumptions can be insufficient to meet the metabolic needs in certain pathological conditions, so that taurine is considered to be a conditionally indispensable amino acid, particularly in preterm infants (Lourenco and Camilo, 2002).

3.1. Udział w prawidłowym przebiegu procesów poznawczych (ID 1659)

The references cited for the substantiation of the claimed effect included a website from a government body and narrative reviews on taurine metabolism and outcomes not related to the claimed effect. The majority of papers addressed outcomes unrelated to the claimed effect such as the management of alcohol dependence, chlorination of taurine by human neutrophils, epilepsy, taurine transport in the heart, heart failure, cell volume regulation, taurine requirements in infants or during long-term parenteral nutrition, insulin-dependent diabetes, fat malabsorption in cystic fibrosis, taurine and exercise in humans and rats, liver injury in rats, hamster sperm, age-related reduction in plasma taurine in rats, retinal degeneration in mice, growth in infant monkeys and nitrogen dioxide lung injury in hamsters. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from these references for the scientific substantiation of the claimed effect.
Two studies investigated the effect of a drink containing taurine, glucuronolactone and caffeine on reaction time, concentration, memory, subjective alertness and physical endurance (Alford et al., 2001), and on cognitive function and mood (Seidl et al., 2000). The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from studies on a fixed combination for the scientific substantiation of a claim on taurine alone.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of taurine and contribution to normal cognitive function.

Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia

100-500 mg per day