title: Serum Taurine and Stroke Risk in Women: A Prospective, Nested Case-Control Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), a conditionally essential sulfur-containing amino acid, is mainly obtained from diet in humans. Experimental studies have shown that taurine's main biological actions include bile salt conjugation, blood pressure regulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a prospective case-control study nested in the New York University Women's Health Study, a cohort study involving 14,274 women enrolled since 1985. Taurine was measured in pre-diagnostic serum samples of 241 stroke cases and 479 matched controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant association between serum taurine and stroke risk in the overall study population. The adjusted ORs for stroke were 1.0 (reference), 0.87 (95% CI, 0.59-1.28), and 1.03 (95% CI, 0.69-1.54) in increasing tertiles of taurine (64.3-126.6, 126.7-152.9, and 153.0-308.5 nmol/mL, respectively). A significant inverse association between serum taurine and stroke risk was observed among never smokers, with an adjusted OR of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.37-1.18) and 0.50 (95% CI, 0.26-0.94) for the second and third tertile, respectively (p for trend = 0.01), but not among past or current smokers (p for interaction < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed no overall association between serum taurine and stroke risk, although a protective effect was observed in never smokers, which requires further investigation. Taurine, Stroke, Epidemiology, Prospective, Case-control study, NYUWHS.
authors: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors: Fen
authors: F
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors: Karen L
authors: KL
authors: Koenig
authors: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Zeleniuch-Jacquotte
authors: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 462 First Avenue, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors: Saran
authors: S
authors: Jonas
authors: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors: Yelena
authors: Y
authors: Afanasyeva
authors: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Route 1 and College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors: Oktawia P
authors: OP
authors: Wójcik
authors: Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Rd, Tuxedo Park, New York, United States of America.
authors: Max
authors: M
authors: Costa
authors: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000737:chemistry; D001794:Blood Pressure; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004032:Diet; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013654:Taurine / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D013654:Taurine