**Author details**

280 Lipoproteins – Role in Health and Diseases

supplemented with taurine [112].

reported.

**5. Conclusion** 

**4.3. Effects of taurine on atherosclerosis in rabbits** 

**4.4. Effects of taurine on atherosclerosis in humans** 

The effect of dietary taurine on development of atherosclerosis has been investigated in different rabbit strains. Taurine has been indicated to prevent progression of atherosclerotic lesions in rabbits without affecting serum cholesterol in two different models. In New-Zealand white male rabbits given a diet containing 2% cholesterol (w/w), taurine added to the drinking water (0.1 or 0.5% w/v) for 14 weeks reduced the aortic deposition of fat [97]. This so-called anti-atherosclerotic effect was only significant for the highest taurine dose tested. Recently, it was indicated that the taurine antiatherosclerotic effect was evident in these rabbits after only 4 weeks on the atherogenic diet [100]. *Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits* carries an inheritable mutation in the LDL receptor and is hence a typical genetically hyperlipidemic animal model. When WHHL rabbits were given drinking water containing 1% taurine (w/v) for 6 months they developed significantly less atherosclerotic lesion formation compared to rabbits not

Results on the effects of dietary taurine in humans are mainly from prospective studies. It is evident that individuals with high urinary excretion of taurine and high dietary intake of food high in taurine in general have fewer incidences of cardiovascular diseases compared to individuals with low dietary intake of taurine [33]. In addition, increased dietary intake of taurine either alone or in the combination with omega-3 fatty acids, has also been suggested to reduce MCP-1, an important risk factor of CVD [106]. No further randomised clinical trials on the effects of dietary supplementation of taurine on CVD disease markers has been

Taurine appears to be able to prevent hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis induced by high-fat and high-cholesterol diets in most animal models. The major mechanism by which taurine lowers serum cholesterol levels is by increased utilization of cholesterol for bile acid synthesis. In mice, rats, and hamsters, dietary intake of taurine cause reduction in dietinduced serum cholesterol accompanied by enhanced mRNA expression and enzymatic activity of 7a-hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme of bile acid synthesis. In normal diets

Dietary supplementation with taurine is indicated to have cardiovascular benefits. The effect on atherosclerosis appears to be highly dose- and model-dependent. In animal experiments using high-fat diets to induce increased levels of lipids, taurine has been demonstrated to significantly alleviate atherosclerotic lesions. The effects of taurine appear to be related to increased degradation and excretion of cholesterol as bile in the feces and the most common feature is that taurine increases expression and activity of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase. Only

taurine does not appear to modify serum and liver cholesterol levels.

a few studies have evaluated the effects of taurine in human subjects.

Karl-Erik Eilertsen, Rune Larsen, Hanne K. Mæhre, Ida-Johanne Jensen and Edel O. Elvevoll *University of Tromsø, Norway* 

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