Taurine deficiency

Question 1

What is taurine

Answer 1

Taurine is a beta-sulfonic amino acid that is an essential nutrient for cats
- it is not used in protein synthesis but is found as a free AA in tissues with highest concentrations in the heart, muscle, brain and retina

Question 2

What are taurine functions

Answer 2

Taurine serves numerous important functions:
- osmoregulation
- calcium channel modulation
- antioxydant activity
- bile acid conjugation

Question 3

Why is taurine an essential nutrient in cats

Answer 3

Taurine synthesis is negligible in cats due to low activity of two enzymes in the pathway and thus taurine must be provided in the diet
- as taurine is abundant in animal tissue, there is no need to synthesize it in the cat’s normal metabolic pathways

Question 4

What are the main causes of taurine deficiency

Answer 4

Taurine deficiency can be due to:
- inadequate dietary supply (e.g., homemade vegetarian diets or dog food)
- loss of taurine in the enterohepatic circulation associated with incresaes in bacterial flora that degrade taurine
- processing effects on taurine in food

Question 5

What are the consequences of taurine deficiency

Answer 5

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Central retinal degeneration

Reproductive failure (e.g., abortions, stillbirths)

Question 6

Why canned diets are required to contain more taurine than dry diets

Answer 6

Because canned diets promote bacterial growth in the intestines that degrade taurine