title: Effect of taurine supplementation on fat and bile acid absorption in patients with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: Eleven children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and pancreatic insufficiency were given supplementation with taurine (30-40 mg/kg/day) for 2 months, while taking their usual dosage of enzymatic therapy. One patient dropped out of the study because she developed severe constipation. In the other 10 patients, urinary taurine excretion (88 +/- 30.1 mg/m2s.a./24 h) was similar to that of controls (86.2 +/- 6 mg/m2s.a./24 h) before taurine and increased markedly after supplementation (618.2 +/- 79.97 mg/m2s.a./24 h), indicating efficient intestinal absorption. Their coefficient of fat absorption was 81.2 +/- 2.3% and increased significantly after taurine (91.3 +/- 1.13%; p less than 0.01); the area under the curve of plasma triglyceride postprandial levels (1 +/- 0.1 mg X min/ml) also increased significantly after taurine (1.4 +/- 0.3 mg X min/ml; p less than 0.05), showing values very similar to those of controls. Conversely, no change was observed in the serum postprandial levels of glycocholic acid: the maximum postprandial peak before (1.2 +/- 0.3 mumol/l) and after taurine (1 +/- 0.1 mumol/l) remained significantly lower than in controls (2.4 +/- 0.3 mumol/l); p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.001, respectively. Mean total fecal bile acid (BA) excretion was 10.24 +/- 2.15 mg/kg/day before taurine and 12.8 +/- 4.27 mg/kg/day after taurine (normal pediatric values, 2.91 +/- 1.1 mg/kg/day); however, in the individual patients we found a variable trend, four of them showing a net increase in fecal BA excretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arlati
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Curcio
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maiavacca
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garatti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ronchi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corbetta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giunta
mesh_terms: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism*; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D008297:Male; D013654:Taurine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D004041:Dietary Fats; D013654:Taurine