Message Number: FHL2519 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2007-09-15 17:53:10 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Taurine Supplements
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

> J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2003 Aug;87(7-8):251-62.
>
>
> Taurine concentrations in animal feed ingredients; cooking
> influences taurine content.
>
> Spitze AR, Wong DL, Rogers QR, Fascetti AJ.
> Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine,
> University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
> The aim of this study was to determine the taurine content in a
> variety of animal feeds. There is very little information on the
> taurine content of ingredients used in home-prepared diets for dogs
> and cats, and foods fed to wild animals in captivity. This study
> reports the taurine content of both common and alternative feed
> ingredients, and compares taurine loss as a result of different
> methods of food preparation. Foods were selected based on their use
> in commercial and home-prepared diets. Animal muscle tissue,
> particularly marine, contained high taurine concentrations. Plant
> products contained either low or undetectable amounts of taurine.
> The amount of taurine that remained in a feed ingredient after
> cooking depended upon the method of food preparation. When an
> ingredient was constantly surrounded by water during the cooking
> process, such as in boiling or basting, more taurine was lost. Food
> preparation methods that minimized water loss, such as baking or
> frying, had higher rates of taurine retention.
> PMID: 12864905 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Okay, bear with me here because i am over my head...

I decided to begin looking for taurine info because I was curious,
and that lead to my own questions. Yes, I know that *****for ferrets
Taurine is an Essential Amino Acid*****, but is this because their
livers can't make it at all from methionine and cystine (using B6) or
is it that their livers make only a bit so the rest must come from
diet ? If the latter then do ferrets whose kidneys are prone to
creating cystine uroliths have less available and therefore a worse
time doing that? That isn't something the urolith specialists
mentioned at all. ***I am just wondering if our two who are prone to
cystine stones should have taurine supplementation.*** Taurine is
not among the amino acids which can lead to cystine uroliths; those
are the COLA grouping: cystine, ornithine, lysine, and arginine.

Sources high in taurine: muscle meats, heart muscle, fish.

From years ago I knew that taurine plays roles in eye and heart
health including potassium management. Later i was informed that it
and cholesterol play roles in rebuilding neural sheaths.

That it helps metabolize fat by helping create bile is something I
had not read before. ***Because of this is it possible that ferrets
with problems that can lead to "bird seed" stools (but not to bilious
feces) due to undigested fats might be helped by having more taurine
added to the diet if they are not also having bilious feces?*** Such
conditions include but are not limited to at least some cases of ECE
and IBD.
See:
http://au.health.yahoo.com/041101/25/1ur9.html?r=967673105
> Fat Malabsorption in cystic fibrosis
> Some studies have shown that supplementation with Taurine can
> improve fat malabsorption and fatty stools in people with cystic
> fibrosis by increasing the production of bile acids.
but note that I do not have time to find actual references for that
(though I did find journal mentions of that use).

That same source says:
> Notes
> - Increased production of bile acids may be associated with peptic
> ulcer disease.
> - People with diabetes should only take Taurine under medical
> supervision to avoid interactions with their medication.
> - It is advisable to take small doses of Taurine in combination
> with other amino acids to provide a balanced combination of
> proteins. Large doses of single amino acids are not recommended.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?
Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=14639190&ordinalpos=10&itool=E
ntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum>

> Ann Pharm Fr. 2003 Nov;61(6):385-91.
>
>
> [Taurine: a particular aminoacid with multiple functions]
>
> [Article in French]
>
> Bidri M, Choay P.
> Taurine has multiple biological and metabolic functions: this
> particular B-amino acid is an antioxidant, it conjugates biliary
> acids, detoxifies some xenobiotics and modulates intracellular
> calcium levels. Moreover, taurine plays an important part in
> osmoregulation, neuromodulation and stabilization of the membranes.
> Taurine is looked upon as an "essential amino acid" in some
> particular situations associating inadequate intake or synthesis
> and major loss of biliary salts. Clinically, taurine has been used
> with varying degrees of success in the treatment of several
> pathologies (cardiovascular diseases, cystic fibrosis, alcoholism,
> retinal degeneration, hepatic disorders). Being found in the
> secretions of the mammalian reproductive tract, it preserves the
> motility of the spermatozoa, supports their capacitation, improves
> the chances of success of fertilization and the early embryonic
> development. This is why it can be found in some culture media for
> in vitro fertilization.
> PMID: 14639190 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


BTW, *if memory serves* I ran into a fascinating press release on
bile playing a role in the health of the small intestine, and another
that small intestine health affects liver health. Okay, the press
release on one of those studies was from Oct 2005, with the work in
Cell Metabolism, authors Steven Kliewer et al of UT Southwestern.
They found that the liver responds to communications from the small
intestine which determine how much bile is created. If not properly
controlled in amounts bile, which is described as basically being a
strong detergent, can do a lot of damage. Here is a more recent
article on it:
http://www.jlr.org/cgi/reprint/M700330-JLR200v1
One of the ferrets with IBD who we had in the past would alternate
bird seed stools with very bilious ones. Thinking about that now I
wonder if in his case the timing for bile release was very wrong --
signals being either delivered too late (maybe due to too much damage
in the upper portions of the small intestine -- with small intestinal
damage from infections like ECE and other serious or persistent
infections a possible origin) or acted upon at the wrong time.
There is also the question whether such damage could result in too
much of the signaling component released which would create regular
bilious diarrhea.
Also, one of the bile acids, Lithocholic Acid, can play a role in
colon malignancies, and it can serve functions releasing calcium into
the blood stream if there is not Vitamin D in the diet (in rodent
studies) which raises the question whether that final possibility
might increase malignancy risks:
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/24/10006
Okay: reference to the protection of the small intestine provided
normally by bile:
> Bile acids also have a role in maintaining the intestinal barrier
> function to prevent intestinal bacterial overgrowth and
> translocation (Lorenzo-Zuniga et al, 2003; Ogata et al, 2003), as
> well as invasion of underlying tissues by enteric bacteria (Ogata
> et al, 2003).
from
http://www.nature.com/msb/journal/v3/n1/full/msb4100153.html

One of the sources say that taurine also helps in sodium management.

Other sources used:
http://www.anyvitamins.com/taurine-info.htm
http://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/proteins_taurine.html
http://www.drugs.com/vet/dyna-taurine.html
http://functionalfoodnet.eu/asp/default.asp?p=65

Twelve studies come up on PubMed when
taurine ferret
is used for a search. Some of those are way beyond me but appear
applicable so perhaps of interest to others. Ex:

> Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2005 Mar;75(2):133-41.
>
> Effects of dietary taurocholate, fat and protein on the storage and
> metabolism of dietary beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol in ferrets.
>
> Sundaresan PR, Marmillot P, Liu QH, Mitchell GV, Grundel E,
> Lakshman MR.
> Division of Research and Applied Technology, Office of Nutritional
> Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, Center for Food Safety
> & Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC
> 20204, USA. Psundare@CFSAN.FDA.GOV
> Dietary factors affecting tissue storage of beta-carotene (BC),
> alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T), and retinol (ROL) in mammals include
> taurocholate, protein, and fat. Few studies have examined the
> effects of these factors on the storage of BC, retinyl esters, and
> alpha-T in a mammalian system that is similar to humans. The main
> objective of the study was to investigate the effects of
> taurocholate (TC), fat, and protein on the absorption and
> metabolism of BC and alpha-T in ferret tissues. Three 4-week
> experiments were conducted using groups of 5-6 ferrets per
> treatment. All diets contained 0.2% BC. In Experiment 1,
> taurocholate was fed at concentrations of 0, 0.5, or 1%. Effects of
> two concentrations of dietary fat (6 and 23%) and three
> concentrations of protein (10, 20, and 40%) were also studied in
> Experiments 2 and 3, respectively. Tissues were analyzed for BC,
> retinoids, and alpha-T by high-pressure liquid chromatography
> (HPLC). Taurocholate enhanced hepatic and plasma concentrations of
> BC (2.3- to 3-fold), retinyl palmitate [(RP) 3.2- to 9.5-fold],
> retinyl stearate [(RS) 2.9- to 6- fold], and hepatic alpha-T (6- to
> 13- fold) at p < 0.05. High-fat diets elevated hepatic BC, RP, RS,
> and retinyl linoleate (RL) concentrations (2- to 3.6-fold, p <
> 0.05). In contrast, high-protein diets lowered hepatic RL 1.8-fold
> and alpha-T 8-fold (p < 0.05). Our results indicate the importance
> of taurocholate, fat, and protein in achieving adequate levels of
> vitamins A and E in mammals.
> PMID: 15929634 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html





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