ALBERT

Description: Purpose   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. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Contribution Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00394-011-0300-6 Authors Oktawia P. Wójcik, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016-3240, USA Karen L. Koenig, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016-3240, USA Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016-3240, USA Camille Pearte, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA Max Costa, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016-3240, USA Yu Chen, New York University Cancer Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA Journal European Journal of Nutrition Online ISSN 1436-6215 Print ISSN 1436-6207