Page 23 - HOSPITAAL

a24 health
Wednesday 14 March 2018

Toro, Toro, Taurine

An essential amino acid, taurine is a major part I see this often in our clinic, especially in older
of bile and can be found in the large intestine. patients who are losing muscle.
Bile or gall is a dark green to yellowish brown The medical term for rotting food is ‘gut fer-
fluid, produced by the liver that digests fats and mentation syndrome’ or the “auto-brewery syn-
meat in the small intestine. Bile is stored in the drome”. Fermentation produces gas and alco-
gallbladder. hol. This fermentation in your stomach is what
People who have had their gallbladder re- is producing bloating and gas. Healthy bodies
moved do not digest meat and fats and, be- produce some alcohol as a part of the normal
cause of the digestion problems sufferer from digestive process, but people who do not di-
many medical problems. gest adequately are producing much more.
Taurine has many important uses. such as mak- Alcohol in your body is basically sugars. Not di-
ing of bile, protecting you from free radicals, gesting your food properly is like having a liquor
regulating the amount of water retained in your brewery inside you.
body, and controlling calcium. It is essential for Anything that causes an imbalance between
your heart and circulation, and development the beneficial and harmful bacteria in your in-
By: Dr Carlos Viana and function of muscle, your eyes, and your testines can increase the chance that fermen-
central nervous system.
tation in the gut will develop.
Many medical problems develop when out liver This can include not only antibiotic use, but also
does not produce good bile. Many symptoms: eating too much sugar or simple carbohydrates
The Latin work for ‘ox’ or ‘bull’ is “Taurus” from indigestion, gas, headaches, constipation then (white bread, flour, sugar). Watching what you
which the zodiac sign for the bull is called ‘Tau- diarrhea, headaches, stiff neck or shoulders, eat could lower the risk of gut fermentation syn-
rus’. “Bas Taurus” is the Spanish fighting bull. gallstones, these symptoms develop because drome, and taking probiotics like Acidophilus
When we think of these animals we imagine food is not being digested properly. People who daily could further protect you by increasing
strength. “Strong as a bull” is a good thing. Even have lost their gallbladder have these problems the number of good bacteria in your system.
in the world of finance, “bull market” means because their liver is not producing good bile. Here in Aruba as elsewhere, type II diabetes has
money is being made. Using the same root Lat- Without the gallbladder there is, no longer, a become an epidemic. The increased amount
in word, when two German scientists Friedrich reservoir to manage the bile. of sugar, from the alcohol produced in diges-
Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin isolated an The weak bile constantly drips into the small in- tive fermentation puts pressure on your pan-
amino acid from ox bile they called it ‘taurine’. testines. creas to produce ever-increasing amounts of
As a clinal nutritionist, I check if the ‘Taurus” is With healthy digestion, after swallowed food insulin.
strong enough help the person stay “as strong passes through the esophagus, it is broken down This eventually leads to Insulin resistance, which
as a bull”. Taurine is an ‘essential amino acid’. further in the acid environment of the stomach. develops when your body fails to respond nor-
Amino acids are the basic building blocks of The resulting liquified mass travels through the mally to the hormone insulin. In turn, the obe-
the body. They are what your body can use small intestine where bile and digestive pancre- sity and hypertension that follows increases
to make energy, like fats and carbohydrates. atic enzymes (from the Pancreas) break down the chances of developing Type II diabetes.
Amino acids are needed by your body to form proteins, sugars and fat into tiny particles that Supplementing with Taurine has been shown in
tissues, organs, muscles, skin, hair, hormones, can be absorbed. studies to help with insulin resistance and dia-
brain chemicals, blood, everything. Without good quality bile flowing into your small betic complications.
There are, basically, two categories of amino intestines, food rots. It prevents and treats fatty liver disease and
acids: essential and non-essential. When you do not digest your food, your stom- can help with obesity. Take 20 minutes before
Essential amino acids are called “essential”, ach feels full; some people vomit or have bloat- meals with one of my BASIC supplements: Leci-
because the human body cannot make, “syn- ing. When food moves through your body undi- thin granules for best results.
thesize” them. It is therefore essential that they gested, hundreds of calories are wasted, ener- Get the Point! If you are feeling tired, depressed
be consumed often through food. Five amino gy from fats, sugars and vitamins, especially the and find it hard to concentrate, even if you’re
acids are considered “non-essential”, because fat-soluble ones, are not absorbed. Deficiency not drinking alcohol – you’re not alone. Taurine,
healthy bodies can make them. Unfortunately, symptoms from fat malabsorption include dry, may be missing from your body’s amino-acid
if you are not getting the ‘essential’ amino ac- flaky patches on skin, decreased night vision pool. Come in for a nutritional consultation. Let
ids, you are not healthy enough to make the from vitamin A deficiency, and reduced cal- us help you find the strength of the bull to expe-
non-essential amino acids. cium absorption from vitamin D deficiency. rience a healthy life. Olé!q