The benefits and harms of taurine for humans, or How sports nutrition, energy drinks and eye drops are related

Taurine is one of the sulfur-containing amino acids found in the tissues and bile of mammals. The name comes from Lat. taurus (bull) - due to the fact that the substance was first obtained from bovine bile. It is also called L-taurine or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid.

Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid. It is produced by the body in small quantities - in the liver from sulfur-containing amino acids: methionine and cysteine. It has controversial properties, some of which are still being studied by scientists. Therefore, before taking it, learn more about the benefits and harms of taurine for the body, its use in sports and weight loss.

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When is drug testing required?

In the lives of many people, situations arose when it was necessary to submit a certificate to a government agency stating that there were no traces of drugs in the body. It may be needed in the following cases:

• To pass a medical examination when applying for a job, as well as during routine medical examinations of employees.
• If you need to prove the fact of drug intoxication of the driver in the event of an accident. Any party to the conflict has the right to demand a qualified examination in order to prove the guilt of the opponent or confirm the fact that he himself was sober at the time of the incident.
• To confirm or refute drug use in court, in some cases such a conclusion may be necessary. Then it will be carried out in HTL.

MOTIVATION OF A DEPENDENT FOR TREATMENT

Recommended daily dose of taurine

A dose of 500 to 2000 mg per day will provide you with enough taurine The maximum dose should be about 3 g per day , although overdoses of taurine have not shown side effects . [8] This is due to the fact that excess taurine is excreted in urine or bile. [5] [7] Taurine has diuretic properties consumed in excess [9]

Pregnant women and people with bipolar disorder should consult a doctor about the use of taurine. Until now , there hasn't been enough research done to confirm that taurine is safe for them. [6]

How are narcotic substances removed from the body?

With any method of use, the narcotic substance enters the bloodstream and is distributed through it to all cells of the body, along with nutrients. But after the intoxicating effect ends, the toxins remain in the body for quite a long time. Some types of drugs can lead to unpleasant consequences even years after use.

Unlike alcohol, drugs are poorly soluble in water, but they are highly soluble in fat, which is quite abundant even in the thinnest people. Almost without changing its structure, the narcotic substance enters the adipose tissue through the walls of the capillaries, where it lingers for a long time. The remaining drug particles remain in fluids and are gradually eliminated through urine, sweat and feces.

When burning fat (during sports, work, or simply insufficient nutrition), particles of the psychoactive substance return to the blood and are distributed throughout the body. Moreover, this can happen within a few months, especially if the addict has a long history of use. When metabolites return to the blood, an irresistible craving arises to receive a full dose, which leads to a breakdown and resumption of use.

Addicts themselves call this a “flashback,” when the drug effect returns months after stopping use. For example, those who have used LSD may experience hallucinations again.

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Literature:

1. Asadullin A.R., Yuldashev V.L., Akhmetova E.A. Clinical case of methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) consumption polymorphism with a brief overview of the problem. - Medical Bulletin of the South of Russia, 2021. - No. 3.
2. Antsybarov A.V. New psychoactive substances: the end of drug evolution or the first step? - Medical Bulletin of Bashkortostan, 2017. - Volume 12, No. 4.
3. Mrykhin V.V. Psychiatric aspects of the use of designer drugs and new psychoactive substances. - Interactive Science, 2017. - No. 12.
4. Mrykhin V.V. Synthetic cathinones “bath salts”: mechanism of action, toxicological aspects, clinic, formation of addiction. - Interactive Science, 2021. - No. 17.

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What determines the time it takes for drugs to leave the body?

The withdrawal time of drug-containing metabolites is influenced by many factors, so the exact timing is quite difficult to determine. The following factors influence the residence time of narcotic substances:

• Human body weight. Metabolites are fat-soluble substances, so overweight people retain psychoactive substances longer.
• With increasing dosage, the period of elimination of the substance becomes longer.
• The residence time of the breakdown products of narcotic substances is also affected by the type of drug.
• The length of addiction also affects the rate of withdrawal - over time, the rate of removal of toxins slows down and they accumulate in the body.
• In a woman’s body, metabolic processes occur more slowly, so the drugs will stay longer.
• Diseases of the digestive tract, liver or cardiovascular system can also affect the rate of elimination of metabolites.
• Also, how long it takes for drugs to leave the body is influenced by general health, psychophysiological characteristics, quality of nutrition and sufficient fluid intake.

Content:

1. MDPV: description.
2. How to understand that a person is using MDPV: the main symptoms of addiction: 2.1. Overdose symptoms.
3. How to remove MDPV from the body.

MDPV or methylenedioxypyrovalerone belongs to the class of synthetic cathinones.
In terms of the intensity of its narcotic effect, it surpasses the well-known Ritalin, a drug used primarily in the United States for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and obesity. MDPV is not officially used in practical medicine; the compound is used in various types of clinical studies. However, in the early 2000s, the substance appeared on the illegal market and is widely in demand “thanks to” its pronounced narcotic effect. There is no specific antidote to the new psychostimulant, so in order to remove MDPV from the body, narcologists resort to standard detoxification methods. The drug is extremely toxic, sometimes even emergency resuscitation measures cannot save the patient’s life. Therefore, it is very important not to let the situation become critical and contact a narcologist at the first symptoms of addiction.

How long do drugs stay in the body?

Any psychoactive substance, no matter how well dealers or friends talk about it, always leaves toxic particles in the body, due to which the intoxicating effect is produced. The timing of elimination of metabolites may vary depending on the type of drug. In the first days after use, the highest concentrations are observed in the blood and urine, so these liquids are most often used to test for the presence of narcotic substances in the body.

How long does the drug stay in the blood?

It is impossible to say exactly how long the drug will be removed from the body, since this is influenced by a whole range of factors. The type of psychoactive substance, the amount consumed, and the length of time of the addict play a key role in determining the rate at which a drug is removed from the blood. The tests carried out usually show not the drug itself, but its breakdown products - metabolites. These toxic elements accumulate in the body and linger for a long time, destroying cellular structures.

How long does the drug last in urine?

If a person has used the drug only once, then, on average, traces of it can be found in the urine within five days from the date of use. The exact timing of withdrawal of psychoactive substances determined by urine depends on the type of drug, its quantity, length of service, as well as the psychophysiological characteristics of the drug addict.

Depending on the surfactant, the approximate duration of presence of toxic metabolites in the urine is:

• When you first use hashish, marijuana or other cannabis-based drugs, traces of the drug in your urine persist for 5-8 days. With regular use, narcotic particles can persist for up to two months.
• Synthetic smoking mixtures and spices remain in the urine for five days, and if abused, up to one and a half months.
• Mephedrone-based salts last a week after the first use, and in case of addiction – up to two months.
• Cocaine lasts up to 4 days, and with regular use - up to three weeks.
• Heroin lasts two days with a single dose, and with constant use - 2 weeks.
• Antidepressants, sedatives and hypnotics remain in the urine for 2 days; with regular use, this period is extended to 1-2 weeks.
• Methamphetamines and amphetamines remain in the body the longest – 9 days. If these drugs are abused, they will be found even after 3-6 months.
• And traces of LSD can be found in the body only during the first 24 hours upon first use or 5 days with regular use.

How long does the drug last in hair?

While a rapid test for the presence of drugs in saliva or urine can be carried out at home, hair, blood and nails are examined only in professional laboratories. The advantages of this type of analysis are maximum accuracy and information content. It is able to show the presence of narcotic particles several months after use, and even determine the dose used. Hair retains traces of the drug for up to 3-4 months, and people with long hair retain traces of the drug for even longer. Nail analysis may show traces of the drug used a month and a half before the test. But at the same time, testing hair or nails is also the most expensive, since it requires professional equipment and quite a lot of effort.

Due to its high accuracy, hard tissue analysis can be provided in court and other government agencies as evidence of consumption.

How long does the drug last in saliva?

In the first days after drug use, toxins remain in saliva, sweat and breast milk. To conduct a quick analysis and determine the fact of taking a prohibited substance, it is convenient to conduct a saliva test. This test is quite easy to use, it gives a quick result, and anyone can carry it out even at home or, for example, on the road.

Saliva can be used to determine the presence of narcotic particles during the first five days, depending on the type of drug, quantity and length of use.

DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT

Beneficial features

Taurine is necessary for the normal functioning of the liver, heart, retina, blood cells and central nervous system. It is involved in vital processes occurring in the body - maintaining normal metabolism, regulating blood pressure, and digesting fats.

General health

Due to its multiple health benefits, including reducing fatigue and strengthening the immune system, taurine is considered a nutraceutical.

Muscles and performance

The most attractive properties of taurine for an athlete are associated with increased performance and its effect on muscles.

So can this amino acid make you stronger and faster?

One study tested the running performance of athletes after taking taurine supplements and found no significant improvement.4 However, increased taurine concentrations after exercise were associated with faster recovery and less oxidative stress in muscle tissue.

Antioxidant

Taurine acts as a strong antioxidant, which also helps the body recover faster. So it can work in two ways—prevent exercise damage and stress and speed up muscle recovery. Since taurine is commonly found in energy drinks, it was thought that it was the combination of taurine and caffeine that created the ergogenic effect, but a study using taurine alone also showed positive results.

central nervous system

In the central nervous system, taurine plays a role as a neurotransmitter amino acid.5 It is believed to promote the formation of new cells in the hippocampus, the limbic part of the brain associated with memory and emotions.6

Sport

It is believed that it lowers triglyceride levels, thereby reducing the likelihood of obesity.7

Experiments in mice have shown that taurine is essential for maintaining skeletal muscle function.8

The effect of taurine on improving athletic performance has been experimentally proven. Scientists at the University of Stirling in Scotland, who study the effects of exercise on health, conducted a study among a group of middle-distance runners who took 1,000 mg of taurine two hours before a race.

90% of subjects showed improvement in results by a few seconds. And we know that in athletics, a difference of a few seconds can make a big difference. There were no negative effects on breathing or heart rate. Research has concluded that there is a 99.3% chance of athletes taking taurine to improve their performance.9

If your goal is muscle development and increased strength, then taking taurine before training will have a positive effect on recovery processes, and intense physical activity will be easier to tolerate due to its antioxidant effects.

Eye health

It is difficult to overestimate the role of this amino acid in maintaining eye health: it improves metabolic processes in eye tissues and helps restore the functions of cell membranes. Taurine in the form of eye drops is prescribed for corneal dystrophy and injuries, dystrophic lesions of the retina, and cataracts.

How to quickly remove drugs from the body

You can quickly and effectively get rid of toxic substances and get out of drug intoxication after drug use only by seeking professional medical help. A narcologist will conduct an examination, based on which he will select the appropriate drugs in the right dosage. Typically, a dropper is used to detoxify the body from traces of drugs, since this method helps to distribute the drugs to all cells of the body as quickly as possible. If for some reason a person cannot personally come to the clinic for procedures, private hospitals provide the service of calling a narcologist to your home. He will arrive in a short time and carry out all the necessary procedures.

DETOXIFICATION

Who needs additional taurine?

As we mentioned above, taurine is synthesized by the body, but not in sufficient quantities. Some groups of people who do not get enough taurine from food or need to improve its properties should consider supplementation. This applies to [6]:

• strict vegans and vegetarians
• athletes who want to improve their physical performance
• people suffering from illnesses
• people who want to preventively protect their health

Table of drug removal from the body

How quickly different types of drugs are eliminated can be judged from the following table:

How to understand that a person is using MDPV: the main symptoms of addiction

Often, relatives find out that their loved one is using drugs already at stages II–III of addiction. But the disease can be recognized in the early stages, when it is much easier to remove MDPV from the body and cope with psychological dependence.

Narcologists recommend paying attention to the following signs:

• hyperhidrosis,
  and a rather unpleasant, specific “chemical” odor emanates from the body;
• change in behavior:
  a person becomes irritable, aggressive, thoughts of suicide, delusional ideas (usually delusions of persecution), panic attacks may appear;
• sleep disturbances
  , nightmares;
• lack of appetite
  , weight loss;
• rhinitis
  , conjunctivitis;
• grinding of teeth
  (the drug provokes a spasm of the chewing muscles).

Overdose symptoms

You should immediately consult a doctor to remove MDPV from the body if you have the following symptoms:

• critical tachycardia and hypertension;
• cyanosis (first of all, pallor with a bluish tint appears in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle);
• increased temperature (sometimes it is hyperthermia that causes death);
• heavy sweating;
• convulsive syndrome;
• psychomotor agitation, hallucinosis;
• breathing disorders: shortness of breath, feeling of lack of air;
• deep fainting and coma.

An overdose can provoke a heart attack, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, acute respiratory failure (respiratory distress syndrome), critical metabolic disorders, and kidney dysfunction.

Links[edit | edit code]

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2. Pavlov V.A. Proceedings of Vseros. scientific-practical conf. with international participation: “Health is the basis of human potential: problems and ways to solve them” - St. Petersburg: Polytechnic Publishing House. Univ., 2008, 374 p.
3. Nakajima Y, Osuka K, Seki Y, Gupta RC, Hara M, Takayasu M, Wakabayashi T. Taurine reduces inflammatory responses after spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma. 2009 Oct 15.
4. Galloway SD, Talanian JL, Shoveller AK, Heigenhauser GJ, Spriet LL. Seven days of oral taurine supplementation does not increase muscle taurine content or alter substrate metabolism during prolonged exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2008 Jun 26
5. Uozumi Yoriko, Ito Takashi, Hoshino Yuki, Mohri Tomomi, Maeda Makiko, Takahashi Kyoko, Fujio Yasushi and Azuma Junichi. Myogenic differentiation induces taurine transporter in association with taurine-mediated cytoprotection in skeletal muscles Biochem. J. (2006) 394, 699–706/
6. Bodine, S.C., Latres, E., Baumhueter, S., Lai, V.K., Nunez, L., Clarke, B.A., Poueymirou, W.T., Panaro, F.J., Na, E., Dharmarajan, K. et al. (2001) Identification of ubiquitin ligases required for skeletal muscle atrophy. Science 294, 1704–1708
7. De Luca, A., Pierno, S., Liantonio, A., Cetrone, M., Camerino, C., Fraysse, B., Mirabella, M., Servidei, S., Ruegg, UT and Conte Camerino, D. (2003) Enhanced dystrophic progression in mdx mice by exercise and beneficial effects of taurine and insulin-like growth factor-1. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 304, 453–463
8. McIntosh, L.M., Garrett, K.L., Megeney, L., Rudnicki, M.A. and Anderson, J.E. (1998) Regeneration and myogenic cell proliferation correlate with taurine levels in dystrophin and MyoD-deficient muscles. Anat. Rec. 252, 311–324
9. Zhang M, Izumi I, Kagamimori S, Sokejima S, Yamagami T, Liu Z, Qi B. Role of taurine supplementation to prevent exercise-induced oxidative stress in healthy young men. Amino Acids. 2004 Mar;26(2):203-7.
10. Cuisinier C, Ward RJ, Francaux M, Sturbois X, de Witte P. Changes in plasma and urinary taurine and amino acids in runners immediately and 24h after a marathon. Amino Acids. 2001;20(1):13-23.
11. Nanobashvili J, Neumayer C, Fugl A, Punz A, Blumer R, Prager M, Mittlbock M, Gruber H, Polterauer P, Roth E, Malinski T, Huk I. Ischemia/reperfusion injury of skeletal muscle: plasma taurine as a measure of tissue damage. Surgery. 2003 Jan;133(1):91-100.
12. Branth S, Hambraeus L, Piehl-Aulin K, Essén-Gustavsson B, Akerfeldt T, Olsson R, Stridsberg M, Ronquist G. Metabolic stress-like condition can be induced by prolonged strenuous exercise in athletes. Ups J Med Sci. 2009;114(1):12-25.
13. Pavlov V.A. Proceedings of Vseros. scientific-practical conf. with international participation: “Health is the basis of human potential: problems and ways to solve them” - St. Petersburg: Polytechnic Publishing House. Univ., 2008, 374 p.
14. Nakajima Y, Osuka K, Seki Y, Gupta RC, Hara M, Takayasu M, Wakabayashi T. Taurine reduces inflammatory responses after spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma. 2009 Oct 15.
15. Nakagawa K, Kuriyama K. Effect of taurine on alteration in adrenal functions induced by stress. Jpn J Pharmacol. 1975 Dec;25(6):737-46.
16. Mal'chikova LS, Speranskaia NV, Elizarova EP. Effect of taurine on cyclic AMP and GMP levels in the hearts of rats exposed to stress. Biull Eksp Biol Med. 1979 Feb;87(2):134-7.
17. Jeevanandam Malayappa, Young David H, Ramias Lois, and Schiller William R. Effect of major trauma on plasma free amino acid concentrations in geriatric patients Am JC/in Nuir l990;5 1:1040-5.
18. Safety issues associated with commercially available energy drinks 2009-06-22
19. Tsuboyama-Kasaoka N, Shozawa C, Sano K, Kamei Y, Kasaoka S, Hosokawa Y, Ezaki O. Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) deficiency creates a vicious circle promoting obesity. Endocrinology 2006 Jul;147(7):3276-84.
20. U. Warskulat, U. Flogel, C. Jacoby, H.-G. Hartwig, M. Thewissen, MW Merx, A. Molojavyi, B. Heller-Stilb, J. Schrader and D. Haussinger Taurine transporter knockout depletes muscle taurine levels and results in severe skeletal muscle impairment but leaves cardiac function uncompromised 2004
21. Abatan OI, Kim H, Burnett D, Larkin D, Obrosova IG, Stevens MJ| title=Taurine reverses neurological and neurovascular deficits in Zucker diabetic fatty rats