A common ingredient in some foods and drinks has been linked to an increased risk of blood cancers.
Taurine — a non-essential amino acid that also occurs naturally in the bone marrow, brain, heart and muscles — was found to promote the growth of leukemia cells, according to a study by Wilmot Cancer Institute investigators at the University of Rochester in New York.
The compound is also found in meats, fish and eggs, as well as some energy drinks and protein powders.
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“The key takeaway from this study is that taurine can be used by leukemia cells to promote cancer progression,” Jeevisha Bajaj, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Genetics and a member of Wilmot’s Cancer Microenvironment research program, told Fox News Digital.
“Developing new methods to block the cancer cells’ ability to take in taurine may improve outcomes for leukemia patients.”
The scientists made the discovery by happenstance as they were investigating the bone marrow with an eye toward improving treatments for blood cancer, according to a press release from the university.
“Our finding that taurine can be produced by the bone marrow microenvironment was completely unexpected and therefore surprising,” Bajaj said. “No one had shown this before, and it added critical information to studies of the bone marrow microenvironment, where blood cancers arise and expand.”
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The taurine triggers cancer growth in leukemia cells by promoting a process called glycolysis, which breaks down glucose to produce energy.
In particular, taurine fuels certain types of cancer that emerge from blood stem cells in the bone marrow, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the release stated.
The findings were published in the journal Nature.
“We are very excited about these studies because they demonstrate that targeting uptake by myeloid leukemia cells may be a possible new avenue for treatment of these aggressive diseases,” said Bajaj.
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“Our work suggests that developing and testing effective drugs that can impede leukemia cells from using taurine could lead to new treatment approaches for these deadly cancers.”
The study did have some limitations, according to the researchers.
“While we can find that taurine levels are high in the bone marrow of mice with leukemia compared to healthy mice, we do not have any evidence on taurine levels in humans with acute myeloid leukemia,” Bajah noted. “This is something we hope to study in the future.”
Looking ahead, the researchers also plan to study how myelodysplastic syndromes lead to acute leukemia.
Based on the findings, the scientists recommend that patients with leukemia speak with their healthcare providers before adding any new supplements or foods rich in taurine to their diet.
“Since taurine is a common ingredient in energy drinks and is often provided as a supplement to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy, our work suggests that it may be of interest to carefully consider the benefits of supplemental taurine in leukemia patients,” the researchers concluded in the paper.
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings.
“The study from the University of Rochester determined that leukemia cells in the bone marrow rely on the amino acid taurine that they don’t make themselves,” he told Fox News Digital. “Future therapies promise to block the uptake of taurine into leukemia cells.”
Further research is needed to determine the exact process for blocking taurine, according to Siegel.
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“This is preliminary, but marks an important link between diet and cancer.”
The study was primarily funded by the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, all of which are part of the National Institutes of Health. The American Society of Hematology, the Leukemia Research Foundation and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society also provided support.
Do energy drinks pose a risk?
Some popular energy drinks list taurine as an ingredient.
“There is concern that high-powered energy drinks containing too much taurine could fuel leukemia cells,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
“This is preliminary, but marks an important link between diet and cancer.”
“But at the same time, there is no evidence that these drinks cause the conversion of regular bone marrow cells into leukemia cells.”
As the body naturally produces taurine, additional supplementation — especially from energy drinks — is “often unnecessary,” according to Dr. Hooman Melamed, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon and sports medicine expert based in Marina Del Rey, California.
“From a clinical perspective, I always advise patients to give their bodies what they need, but not to overload them with substances they don’t,” Melamed, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
In general, Melamed said he recommends avoiding energy drinks altogether, especially those containing many synthetic additives or excessive ingredients.
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“You’ll often find 20+ components in these products — many of which you can’t pronounce. That alone is a red flag,” he cautioned.
“If you don’t recognize what’s in your food or drink, it’s probably not something your body needs.”
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