Influence of dietary taurine on vitamin D absorption

Abstract

To evaluate the influence of dietary taurine supplementation on vitamin D absorption, we studied three groups of infants: 21 (11 preterm) were fed a taurine-free formula, 21 (10 preterm) were fed a taurine-supplemented formula (50 mg/100 g of powder) and 20 (9 preterm) were fed human, not heat-treated milk. Taurine, total bile acids, glyco-(GBA) and tauro-(TBA) conjugated bile acids, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25OH2D3) were determined in all infants at birth in blood cord and at one and three months of life. In preterm infants fed a taurine-free formula, we found lower plasma taurine levels than in infants of other groups at one and three months of life. In these infants, GBA predominated, with a G/T ratio of 1.1 and 1.4 at one and three months of life, whereas in all other infants TBA predominated with a G/T ratio always < 1. Also, 25OHD3 and 1,25OH2D3 levels were significantly lower in preterm infants fed a taurine-free formula than in infants fed a taurine-enriched formula or human milk. Term infants fed a taurine-free formula did not show differences in the parameters studied in comparison to infants of other groups. Low taurine dietary intake appears to compromise vitamin D absorption in preterm infants, and therefore taurine supplementation of preterm infant formulas should be encouraged.

Nutrient Requirements For Preterm Infant Formulas

“…Gastrointestinal findings include the observation that with taurine-free formula, vitamin D absorption is compromised in infants of mean GA of 32 weeks, compared with that in infants taking a taurine-supplemented formula (Zamboni et al, 1993). Heird et al (1987) reported that taurine supplementation during the administration of total parenteral nutrition may reduce the incidence and degree of cholestasis (impairment of bile secretion) in infants.…”

“…Essentially no dose-ranging studies were done before it became ethically dubious to withhold taurine from premature infants. Among the clinical investigations, Zamboni et al (1993) found normalization of vitamin D absorption by an intake of 93 mol (11.6 mg)/ (kg ⅐ d) at an energy intake of 120 kcal/kg, or 9.7 mg/100 kcal. Rassin et al (1990) found formula with added taurine at 8 mg/100 kcal to normalize plasma concentrations of taurine, but some of these same investigators had previously reported that normal values of taurine in plasma and urine were supported by supplementation at 4.6 mg/100 kcal (Järvenpää et al, 1983b;Rassin et al, 1983).…”

The Composition of Human Milk as a Model for the Design of Infant Formulas: Recent Findings and Possible Applications

“…Taurine is now added to nearly all infant formulas, although the effects of taurine supplementation on cholesterol synthesis, bile acid excretion, fat and vitamin D absorption, and auditory brainstem evoked responses have been shown only in infants born preterm (Tyson et al 1989;Wasserhess et al 1993;Zamboni et al 1993).…”

Preliminary Data on Echocardiographic Evaluation and Serum Taurine Concentration in Healthy Dogs of Two Breeds (10 Golden Retrievers and 12 German Shorthaired Pointers) with Different Predispositions to Nutritional Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Pilot Study

“…An association between the development of DCM and low plasma and/or whole blood taurine has already been reported in American and English Cocker Spaniels [ 20 ]. Later on, different diets and specific ingredients were evaluated for possible associations with nutritional DCM: lamb and rice, diets high in fiber or low in protein, grain-free diets (the presence of potatoes or pulses in association with a particular source of animal protein, low in sulfur-containing amino acids, and/or low in taurine) [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. In 2018–2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning and suggested that diets that are grain-free or contain legumes or potato ingredients need further studies to elucidate a possible role in the causation of DCM [ 27 , 28 ].…”