Effects of Taurine Supplementation on Vascular Endothelial Function at Rest and After Resistance Exercise.

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High-intensity resistance exercise has been shown to increase arterial stiffness and reduce vascular endothelial function. Taurine supplementation has a favorable effect on maintaining vascular function. We had previously reported that taurine supplementation attenuated increases in resistance exercise-induced arterial stiffness. In the present study, we further investigate the effects of taurine supplementation on vascular endothelial function at rest and after resistance exercise.Twenty-nine healthy men were recruited and randomly assigned to either the placebo supplement group (n=14) or the taurine supplement group (n=15) in a double-blinded manner. Subjects were required to ingest 6g of either a placebo or the taurine supplement for 2weeks prior to and 3days following the exercise. Two weeks after the commencement of supplementation, the subjects were asked to perform 2 sets of 20 repetitive unilateral maximal-effort resistance exercise of the elbow flexors on a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer, with each contraction lasting 3s, with 1 repetition performed every 9s and 4 min rest in between sets. We evaluated the changes in brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the non-exercised arm as an index of vascular endothelial function. Relative and absolute FMDs were measured prior to supplementation, before exercise, and 24, 48, and 96h after exercise.Two weeks of taurine supplementation significantly increased both relative and absolute FMDs. Baseline diameter significantly increased at 96h following the exercise in both groups. However, there was no change in the peak diameter. Consequently, both relative and absolute FMDs were significantly reduced at 96h after the exercise in both groups. Taurine supplementation does not affect resistance exercise-induced reduction in FMD.Two weeks of taurine supplementation (6g/day) significantly increased vascular endothelial function at rest; however, taurine supplementation did not improve resistance exercise-induced reduction in FMD.