ID 1660 - 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), which is a well recognised nutrient and is measurable in foods by established methods.
Taurine occurs naturally in foods of animal origin and is practically 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. Opóźnienie wystąpienia zmęczenia i poprawa wydolności fizycznej (ID 1660)

The claimed effect is “ergogenic role in sports and exercise”. The Panel assumes that the target population is sports men and women.
In the context of the proposed wordings, the Panel notes that the claimed effect relates to the delay of the onset of fatigue and to enhanced physical performance.
The Panel considers that delaying the onset of fatigue and enhancing physical performance might be beneficial for sports men and women.

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 (Lourenço and Camilo, 2002).

3.3. Opóźnienie wystąpienia zmęczenia i poprawa wydolności fizycznej (ID 1660)

The ergogenic effect of taurine in sports and exercise is not mentioned in any of the reviews and textbooks provided for the substantiation of the claimed effect.
Out of the references provided, three human intervention studies (Yatabe et al., 2003; Baum and Weiss, 2001; Alford et al., 2001) and one animal study (Zhang et al., 2004) investigated the relationship between the consumption of taurine and the claimed effect.
In a crossover double blind intervention study (Baum and Weiss, 2001), 13 endurance trained athletes consumed 500 ml of a so-called “energy drink” containing 2 g taurine, 160 mg caffeine, 1.2 g glucuronolactone, 43 g saccharose, and 10.5 g glucose (and vitamins), 500 ml of a similar (control) drink without taurine and glucuronolactone, and 500 ml of a drink containing only saccharose and glucose (placebo) 40 minutes before a controlled intense exercise. Parameters of cardiac contractility were assessed by echocardiography before and after exercise. Some parameters of cardiac contractility (e.g., left ventricular end systolic diameter) improved after exercise following consumption of the “energy drink” compared to the control and placebo drinks. The Panel notes that no conclusions can be drawn from this study for the substantiation of the claim on taurine alone.
In the study by Alford et al. (2001), a total of 36 volunteers were included in three different small double-blind crossover studies comparing the effects of 250 ml of an energy drink containing 1 g taurine, 80 mg caffeine and 600 mg glucuronolactone to those of 250 ml of carbonated water (control) consumed before aerobic and anaerobic endurance testing. When compared to the control drink (carbonated water), the energy drink significantly improved aerobic endurance (maintaining 65– 75% max. heart rate) and anaerobic performance (maintaining max. speed) on cycle ergometers. The Panel notes that no conclusions can be drawn from this study for the substantiation of the claim on taurine alone.
The study by Zhang et al. (2004) was an open label, single arm intervention which investigated the effects of taurine supplementation (6 g/d for 7 days) on exercise performance in 11 young men (18-20 years of age). Subjects were asked to undergo an identical exhaustive test procedure using a bicycle ergometer before and after the taurine supplementation period. Workload, VO2 max, and exercise duration before fatigue significantly increased after taurine supplementation compared with baseline (pre-treatment). The Panel notes that the small number of subjects studied, the lack of an appropriate control group, and the high doses of taurine used in the study (6 g/d, 60 times higher than the 100mg/d dose proposed in the conditions of use) limit the conclusions that can be drawn from this study in relation to the claimed effect under the proposed conditions of use.
In a rat study (Yatabe et al., 2003), a modest but significant increase in time to exhaustion was observed with very high doses of taurine (0.5 g/kg) that are not relevant for human nutrition.
In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account the small number of subjects studied, the lack of measurements related to physical performance in one of the studies, the difficulty in attributing any effects to the consumption of taurine alone in two of the studies, and the high doses of taurine used in one human intervention study and in the animal study, which limit the conclusions that can be drawn from these studies in relation to the consumption of taurine and the claimed effect under the proposed conditions of use.
The Panel concludes that a cause an effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of taurine and the delay in the onset of fatigue or the enhancement of physical performance.

Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia

Sports foods and food supplements containing taurine and targeted at sports people.