Effect of taurine treatment on insulin secretion and action, and on serum lipid levels in overweight men with a genetic predisposition for type II diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing with an epidemic growth rate. Animal studies with taurine supplementation have shown increased insulin secretion and action, suggesting that taurine supplementation may have a potential to prevent T2DM. Objective: To assess the effect of taurine treatment on insulin secretion and action, and on plasma lipid levels in overweight men with a positive history of T2DM. Design: 20 nondiabetic subjects were included in a double-blinded, randomized, crossover study, receiving a daily supplementation of 1.5 g taurine or placebo for two periods of 8 weeks. The subjects were overweight first-degree relatives of T2DM patients. An intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was used to measure first-phase insulin secretory response, and a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp was used to determine peripheral insulin action. Results: Mean plasma taurine concentration was 3977 (s.d.) mmol/l after placebo and 131762 mmol/l after taurine intervention (Po0.0001). There was no significant difference after taurine intervention compared to placebo in incremental insulin response (Ins incr. ) neither during the IVGTT, nor in insulin-stimulated glucose disposal during the clamp. Insulin secretion, adjusted for insulin sensitivity, was also unchanged. There was no significant effect of taurine supplementation on blood lipid levels as well. Conclusion: Daily supplementation with 1.5 g taurine for 8 weeks had no effect on insulin secretion or sensitivity, or on blood lipid levels. These findings in persons with an increased risk of T2DM are in contrast to those from animal studies, and do not support the assumption that dietary supplementation with taurine can be used to prevent the development of T2DM.

Oral taurine but not N-acetylcysteine ameliorates NEFA-induced impairment in insulin sensitivity and beta cell function in obese and overweight, non-diabetic men

“…Very few studies have directly evaluated the effects of TAU on beta cell function, and no previous study has examined its effect on lipid-induced beta cell dysfunction in humans. Brons et al [41] did not find any effect of TAU (1.5 g/day for two crossover periods of 8 weeks) alone (without lipid infusion) on insulin secretion in overweight first-degree relatives of individuals with type 2 diabetes. In addition to higher TAU dosages, our study was designed to specifically examine the effects of TAU on insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction induced by a prolonged elevation of plasma NEFAs.…”

Taurine Intestinal Absorption and Renal Excretion Test in Diabetic Patients

“…Such beneficial effects may be mediated through binding of taurine to the insulin receptor (4), decreasing glucose absorption (30), and/or directly modulating hepatic glucose metabolism (31). Human studies on taurine supplementation are thus far inconclusive (32,33). This is the first study to demonstrate that, after a taurine load, diabetic patients waste taurine more extensively in urine than matched control subjects and probably have a lower rate of net intestinal absorption.…”

Taurine Depletion-Related Cardiomyopathy in Animals

“…To verify the unsolved problems, the physiological role of taurine in heart must be fully clarified. It should be noted that the increasing rate of plasma taurine concentration after taurine administration varies widely among individuals (Brons et al, 2004). Additionally, there may be some genetic polymorphisms of taurine transporter which affects the taurine transport activity in human genome.…”