Habitual Taurine Intake and Plasma Taurine Concentration Are Not Associated With Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Taurine has shown promise as a therapeutic agent for diabetic disorders, and circulating taurine concentration has consistently been lower in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, it is unclear whether higher habitual taurine intake or plasma taurine concentration is associated with a lower risk of developing T2D. OBJECTIVES: To investigate associations of habitual taurine intake, its food source, and plasma taurine concentration with risk of incident T2D. METHODS: This prospective study included 23,456 individuals without diabetes from the Chinese Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health (TCLSIH) cohort and 24,241 individuals without diabetes from the Swedish Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) cohort. Habitual taurine intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire in the TCLSIH cohort and a modified diet history method in the MDC cohort. Plasma taurine concentration was measured in a subsample of the MDC cohort. Incident T2D was identified through medical examinations and physician diagnoses in the TCLSIH cohort and via registry linkage and rescreening in the MDC cohort. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 4.2 y (TCLSIH) and 24.6 y (MDC), 757 and 4161 participants developed T2D, respectively. The fully adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for incident T2D comparing extreme quartiles of absolute taurine intake were 0.96 (0.73, 1.25) in the TCLSIH cohort and 1.08 (0.96, 1.21) in the MDC cohort. The corresponding pooled multivariable HR (95% CI) was 1.06 (0.95, 1.18). Such associations remained largely unchanged after adjusting taurine intake for total energy using both the residual and nutrient density methods. In addition, no significant association was observed for source-specific taurine and plasma taurine concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Neither habitual taurine intake nor plasma taurine concentration was associated with risk of incident T2D in population-based settings.