Serum taurine and risk of coronary heart disease: a prospective, nested case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), a molecule obtained from diet, is involved in bile acid conjugation, blood pressure regulation, anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation. We performed the first prospective study of taurine and CHD risk.


METHODS
We conducted a case-control study nested in the New York University Women's Health Study to evaluate the association between circulating taurine levels and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Taurine was measured in two yearly pre-diagnostic serum samples of 223 CHD cases and 223 matched controls and averaged for a more reliable measurement of long-term taurine levels.


RESULTS
Mean serum taurine was positively related to age and dietary intake of poultry, niacin, vitamin B1, fiber and iron, and negatively related to dietary intake of saturated fat (all p values ≤ 0.05). There was no statistically significant association between serum taurine levels and the risk of CHD in the overall study population. The adjusted ORs for CHD in increasing taurine tertiles were 1.0 (reference), 0.85 (95% CI, 0.51-1.40) and 0.66 (0.39-1.13; p for trend = 0.14). There was a significant inverse association between serum taurine and CHD risk among women with high total serum cholesterol (>250 mg/dL) (adjusted OR = 0.39 (0.19-0.83) for the third versus first tertile; p for trend = 0.02) but not among those with low total serum cholesterol (p for interaction = 0.01). The data suggest a possible inverse association of serum taurine with diabetes and hypertension risk.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that high levels of taurine may be protective against CHD among individuals with high serum cholesterol levels.
Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016-3240, USA.
Oktawia P
OP
Wójcik
Karen L
KL
Koenig
Anne
A
Zeleniuch-Jacquotte
Camille
C
Pearte
Max
M
Costa
Yu
Y
Chen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D009525:Niacin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011200:Poultry; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013654:Taurine / Q000097:blood*; D013831:Thiamine / Q000008:administration & dosage
D004041:Dietary Fats; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D013654:Taurine; D009525:Niacin; D002784:Cholesterol; D013831:Thiamine