Taking Taurine can help reverse smokers' endothelial dysfunction- the inablility of blood vessels to dilate in response to increased blood flow. Endothelial dysfunction is an early warning sign of atherosclerosis that's common among smokers.
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/107/3/410.pdf
Researchers studied 15 smokers- selected because they provided a good clinical model for treating endothelial dysfunction- and 15 non-smokers, ages 20 to 37. Endothelial response was assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which involves using Ultrasound images to measure the increase in diameter of blood vessels in a subject's arm when a tourniquet is applied. Greater vessel diameter after FMD indicates good endothelial function.
Before FMD, the nonsmokers' blood vessel diameter was 3.39 mm; the smokers' was 3.33 mm. FMD caused the non-smokers' vessel diameter to increase to 3.7 mm, while barely increasing the smokers' vessels to 3.36 mm.
Smokers were then given 1.5 gm per day of taurine or 2 gm of Vitamin C for five days. After a two-week washout period, they switched therapies.
After recieving taurine, the smokers' vessel diameters increased to 3.7 mm- the same as nonsmokers who recieved no treatment. Vitamin C also increased the smokers' vessel diameter, but not by as much (3.45 mm).
Cliffs: Smokers may benefit from 1.5 g Taurine daily, which will increase the dilation (wideness) of the blood vessels, and thus, blood flow. I thought this information was especially pertinent for those bodybuilders that do smoke; as heart health, blood vessel dilation, and nutrient delivery are always at the forefront and can benefit from this regimen.
Taurine Supplementation beneficial for Smokers
Linear Mode
