• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.158-165
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• 1999

Effects of oral taurine supplementation (6g/day) on plasma concentration and urinary of free amino acids were evaluated in healthy female adults. Among twenty five female volunteers(23.6$\pm$0.3 years old) participated in the taurine supplementation program, twenty four subjects successfully completed the two supplementation program. Plasma and urinary levels of free amino acids were determined by using an automated amino acid analyzer based on ion-exchange chromatography. Two weeks of taurine supplementation resulted in a 65% increase in plasma taurine concentration (p<0.001), Changes in fasting plasma amino acid concentrations followed by taurine supplementation were not spectacular, and were all within the normal range for human aldults. Taurine supplementation significantly elevated urinary methionine, asparagine, hydorxyproline and phosphoserine excretions(31~280%), and significantly decreased the urinary excretions of isoleucine, glutamate and serine compared to the values prior to taurine supplementation. For almost every individual amino acids, 24 hr urinary excretion level was significantly correlated to the urinary excretion value expressed as nmol/mg creatinine(p<0.001). A significant negative correlation found between plasma glutamine concentration and urinary glutamine excretion level suggests that the decrease in plasma glutamine concentration might be associated with the enhanced glutamine excretion in urine followed by taurine supplementation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.440-448
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• 2001

As diverse physiological functions of taurine have been reported, taurine-containing health drinks and products are marketed worldwide for the treatment of various conditions such as improvements of liver, heart and circulatory functions or as an aid to athletic performance. Although animal studies have shown that taurine is fairly safe when supplemented in the diet for an extended period, the effective dose range of taurine for dietary supplements is in controversy. Reports on dietary taurine intakes have been sparse, and would serve as a guideline for determining an appropriate taurine dosage. The present study was aimed to estimate dietary intake level of taurine using the taurine content database of commonly used food stuffs established recently in our laboratory, and also to evaluate plasma concentration and urinary excretion of taurine in adolescents and adults residing in Seoul area. Dietary taurine intakes of the subjects were 219$\pm$16.9mg/day for 16-19 years old(n=123), 177$\pm$18.1mg/day for adults older than 20 years old(n=123). Male subjects(n=115) consumed 216$\pm$21.1mg of taurine/day, while female subjects(n=131) consumed 181$\pm$14.3mg of taurine/day(p<0.05). The level of dietary taurine intake was positively correlated with the levels of dietary intakes of energy, carbohydrate, total lipids, cholesterol, vitamin A, vitamin B$_1$, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorous, sodium and potassium at p<0.01, and with dietary intakes of iron and animal lipids at p<0.05, respectively. Plasma taurine concentration of subjects were 135$\pm$5.9$\mu$mol/L, which is considered to be within a normal range for healthy subjects. The subjects excreted 1158$\pm$72.7nmol/ of tarine mg creatinine in their urine, which is approximated as 150-170mg of taurine/24hr urine based on the assumption that 18mg creatinine/kg/day is excreted in the urine of healthy adults, and this would be about 80% of the daily taurine intake observed in the same subjects. Dietary taurine intake level was positively correlated with plasma taurine concentration, as well as with urinary taurine excretion corrected by creatinine excretion at p<0.05. The present study was the first report of taurine intake, and plasma concentration and urinary excretion of taurine in a Korean population so far, and these results would serve as an index for the future study evaluating taurine status in a diverse population within and outside Korea. (Korean J Nutrition 34(4) : 440~448, 2001)

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.368-373
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• 1998

Plasma amino acid concentration and Urinary exretion of free amino acids were measured in health female vegetarians(n=20, 19.9 $\pm$0.43 years old ) and age-mateched imnivores(n=20, 21.9$\pm$0.38years old) in Korean. differences infasting plasma amino acid concentrations and plasma aminogram pattern were not spectacular between the vegetarian and omnivore controls. Compared to the omnivores, vegetarians showed significantly lower plasma levels of methionine , phenylalanine, $\alpha$-aminobutyrate, citrulline, phosposerine and tarurine, and significantly higher plasma concentrations of arginine, $\alpha$-aminobutyrate, cirtrulline, phosphosierine and taurine, and significantly higher plasma concentrations of arginine, $\alpha$-aminoadipate, asparagine, aspartate, glutamate and ornithine. Although these differences were statistically significant, they were all within the normal range (21~70% differences )for human adults. Most of the urinary amino acids (nmol/mg creatinine or $\mu$mol/24 hr urine) were excreted to significantly lesser degree in vegetarians than was the case in omnivore controls. For almost every individual free amino acid, plasma concentration did not significantly correlate with urinary excretion level. These results indicate that vegetarians excreted less amino acids in their urine than did dominivores, most probably in an effort to maintain amino acid homeostasis to an altered dietary protein intake level and/or amino acid composition of their diets.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.108-113
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• 2009

Taurine supplementation has been shown to have a beneficial effect on femur bone mineral content in ovariectomized rats. It therefore seemed desirable to find out whether the beneficial effect of taurine on ovariectomized rats fed calcium deficient diet could also be reproduced. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups, One group was OVX and the other group received sham operation (SHAM), and received either control diet or a taurine supplemented diet for 6 weeks. All rats were fed on calcium deficient diet (AIN-93: 50% level of calcium) and deionized water. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured in spine and femur. The serum and urine concentrations of calcium and phosphorus were determined, Bone formation was measured by serum osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentrations, Bone resorption rate was measured by deoxypyridinoline (DPD) crosslinks immunoassay and corrected for creatinine. Urinary calcium and phosphorus excretion, osteocalcin in blood and cross link value were not significantly different among the groups. Within the OVX group, the taurine supplemented group had not higher femur bone mineral content than the control group. This study established the need for a study on the taurine effect on bone with different calcium levels.