Surprising History.

More taurine, please.

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1. Scientists are exploring a new biological link to longer life. Boosting levels of an amino acid called taurine made mice and worms live longer, according to research published Thursday in the journal Science. Middle-aged monkeys given taurine supplements became healthier, researchers said. In humans, lower levels of taurine were associated with age-related problems. “This is a very promising molecule,” said Vijay Yadav, an assistant professor of genetics and development at Columbia University, who co-wrote the paper. “Our quest was to identify which molecules change with age,” said Yadav. “What we found was that many molecules decreased in abundance with age but there was one that went down dramatically.” That was taurine. Levels of the amino acid in the blood were 80% lower in elderly people than in younger people, Yadav and his colleagues found. They theorized that declining levels of taurine could drive aging—and that boosting taurine in the body could slow the process. The research paper is here.(Source: wsj.com, science.org)