The effects of taurine supplementation on oxidative stress indices and inflammation biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract Background Reduced serum level of taurine in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was shown to be associated with the metabolic alterations and clinical complications of diabetes. Dietary supplementation with taurine may attenuate oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in T2DM as well as alleviate diabetes-induced complications. Hence, this study evaluated the effect of taurine supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with T2DM. Methods Fifty patients with T2DM were randomly allocated to two groups to consume either taurine (containing 1000 mg taurine), or placebo (containing crystalline microcellulose) three times per day for 8 weeks. Anthropometric data, dietary intake, serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were assessed before and after intervention. Results There was a significant increase in SOD (5.1%, p = 0.004) and CAT (4.22%, p = 0.001) after 8 weeks of taurine supplementation. In addition, serum levels of MDA (26.33%, p = 0.001), hs-CRP (16.01%, p = 0.001), and TNF‐α (11.65%, p = 0.03) significantly decreased in the taurine group compared with baseline. Following treatment, the taurine group had fewer serum levels of MDA ( p = 0.04), hs-CRP ( p = 0.002) and TNF-α ( p = 0.006) than the placebo group. Also, a significant increase was observed in SOD ( p = 0.007), and CAT ( p = 0.001) in the taurine group compared with the placebo group. There were no differences in the serum levels of IL-6 or TAC. Conclusions The findings of this study showed that taurine supplementation improved some oxidative stress indices and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with T2DM. Trial registration The protocol of this clinical trial is registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials ( http://www.IRCT.IR , identifier: IRCT20121028011288N16).