What is Taurine and how is it made?

Taurine is a nature-identical/natural form amino acid that’s commercially synthesized from common chemicals. It’s made from the reaction of sulfuric acid with mono-ethanol amine; also known as ethanolamine; which is an amino alcohol that’s also part of phospholipids, like the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in lecithin, that are important components of cell membranes. 

Taurine, a sulphur-containing amino acid, is the most abundant intracellular amino acid in humans, and is involved in numerous biological and physiological functions, including bile production and heart health. Once we pass infancy, we routinely synthesize taurine in our bodies from the amino acids methionine and cysteine with the aid of vitamin B₆. That makes it a nonessential amino acid for most of us; though specific groups of individuals are at risk for taurine deficiency and may benefit from supplementation. 

I personally take 1,000 mg of taurine twice a day for heart heath now, as I have had troubling arrhythmia incidents send me to the emergency room and am medically at risk for progressively worse outcomes over time. It has shown effectiveness in increasing exercise capability in heart failure patients and arterial compliance to nitric oxide to support healthy blood pressure. I also take l-carnitine, olive leaf extract, magnesium, l-citrulline, Pycnogenol, grape seed extract, hawthorn leaf and flower extract, a good multivitamin, and other supplements to support my cardiovascular health and hold off that disturbing prognosis as long as possible. 

Taurine has no d- or l- forms, similar to glycine but unlike most amino acids that have different optical rotations in distinct natural and synthetic forms. All taurine is the natural form, even if produced by chemical synthesis, whether commercially or in our bodies. 

Cholesterol measures

Total cholesterol means nothing in terms of health. Just as many people have fatal heart attacks with low total cholesterol as high, and there are additional health risks if it is too low. Flipping a coin gives you just as good data. I have seen people whose total cholesterol is high but who seem to have little risk. There may also be a genetic component to the baseline total cholesterol number that defies easy changes.


The main relevant and meaningful cholesterol number today is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (over 5 is not good; lower means lower risk). This means that, if you have high total cholesterol but your ratio is good, your HDL number is high and that makes you better protected than someone whose HDL is low. Routine blood screenings now tend to include this important number. Homocysteine is another number that indicates your risk of inflammatory conditions affecting the brain and cardiovascular system.

Neil was interviewed about CoQ10 for a trade magazine

* How would you rate consumer awareness of the health benefits of CoQ10? Neil: There is actually a fair amount of consistently positive press on CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10), with a significant part of that because of this antioxidant nutrient’s role in cardiovascular and heart health. Many cardiologists recommend CoQ10 to their patients and popular books, such as by Dr. Sinatra, promote the healthful effects of CoQ10 to at-risk people. I would go so far as to suggest that CoQ10 has picked up some of the wide popularity as a heart nutrient that vitamin E had several years ago (but lost due to consumer confusion caused by unwarranted negative publicity). The fact that CoQ10 is so obviously safe, versatile, and useful has propelled it to a high place on the list of cardiovascular nutrients. * What is driving consumer interest in CoQ10 products? Neil: The multiple roles of CoQ10 in the human body make it uniquely useful in protecting cells and energizing essential processes such as heart action and immunity. Energy supports the constant pumping of the heart muscle, but also supports immune functions and antioxidant activity. Lack of energy is a common complaint heard by doctors, and active people need good sources of energy, so nutrients that promise to improve the energetics of the body are always in demand. In addition, new technologies to improve the historically poor absorption of CoQ10 have expanded the product category as prices have moderated, which is a perfect place for people selling CoQ10 to be in. Tell us more about CoQ10: Neil: Ubiquinol doubles as an antioxidant, and like other antioxidants the body can convert from one to the other and back again. Although Ubiquinol lacks much in the way of human clinical trials, supplemental Ubiquinone mostly converts to Ubiquinol during transport from the gut to the circulatory system. Ubiquinol is the primary form of the nutrient that circulates in the body. Ubiquinol converts to Ubiquinone to stimulate the production of cellular energy. CoQ10 is a fat-soluble nutrient and therefore should only be taken with meals containing significant amounts of fat. That has traditionally been the main limiting factor in absorption. Blending CoQ10 into an oily base to make softgel capsules is somewhat superior to dry capsules because a little oil is provided, but again there just isn’t enough oil in a capsule to make a big difference when the nutrient is not dissolved into the oil. When CoQ10 is completely dissolved into an oil, forming a crystal-free solution, it does make it several times more absorbable. But all oily solvents are not created equal! Some manufacturers use the synthetic chemical polysorbate 80 as the base and main ingredient in the softgel capsule, whereas others use only natural citrus or coconut oil fractions to do the same job because we prefer to have natural bases.

Nutrients of interest to stroke victims

Sorry there's not much detail but this is a list that I made of nutrients that may be useful for someone who has had a stroke. I would suggest that you look each one up at a reputable online database, if interested. Of course, there are often difficulties at getting stroke survivors to take nutritional pills/caps; everything from swallowing to drug interactions. In no particular order: Vinpocetine Pycnogenol Nattokinase Rosemary Thyme Proline CoQ10 Phosphatidyl Choline Acetyl-l-carnitine vitamin E (all 8 tocopherols and tocotrienols) alpha-lipoic acid silymarin magnesium acetylcholine precursors: choline, PC, B5, huperzine