TUDCA
You can use TUDCA for:
Liver health / protection
Digestion / gut health
Neuro-protection
Cardio-protection
Insulin sensitivity
Improving protein folding capacity / protein synthesis
Eye health / vision
Dosages range from 15mg – 1,750mg.
A general dose would be 250mg taken 1-3 times per day.
More on TUDCA
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) (taurine bound to ursodeoxycholic acid) is a naturally occurring bile acid produced by intestinal bacteria that has many benefits. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Its main use has been for liver disease / protection, but it has also shown benefits in neurological conditions, cardiovascular health, and gut health. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and cytoprotective (protective to cells) effects.
It has shown benefits in atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, pancreatitis, G.I disorders, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, head trauma, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. TUDCA may also act as therapeutic agent in certain types of cancer.
As with most diseases, oxidation and inflammation play a big role. TUDCA lowers both inflammation and oxidative stress. On top of this, a lot of these disorders involve endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and disrupted protein folding machinery. TUDCA protects against ER stress and can improve protein folding capacity.
“TUDCA is a potent inhibitor of apoptosis by interfering with the mitochondrial pathway of cell death, inhibiting oxygen-radical production, and reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress and caspase activation.”
TUDCA can improve protein synthesis and insulin sensitivity. Bodybuilders often use TUDCA for liver support while using oral anabolics. These benefits are quite commonly known, but the improvements in protein folding / binding / protein synthesis, and improved insulin sensitivity aren’t spoken of as often. Athletes, and those that train can utilise TUDCA for these benefits on muscle growth and recovery.
TUDCA may also aid in weight loss by improving glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and insulin clearance.
Bile plays an important role in the human body, especially in regards to fat digestion. Problems with bile secretion can lead to digestive problems and diseases of the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. TUDCA can help digest fats, absorb nutrients, and eliminate toxic substances.
TUDCA has shown benefits for ulcerative colitis. Protein misfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), i.e., ER stress, plays fundamental roles in IBD development. Patients with active Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis exhibit signs of ER stress. As mentioned above, TUDCA helps with protein folding, relieving ER stress, and decreases inflammation in mouse models of IBD. 2,000mg taken 3 times per day, for 6 weeks, was used for this experiment.
In other experiments on mice. TUDCA improved intestinal barrier function by increasing levels of tight junction molecules and the solid chemical barrier. It also modulates the gut microbiome, and helps prevent the formation of gallstones.
In Parkinsons disease, TUDCA restored ATP levels, prevented mitochondrial dysfunction, alleviated neuroinflammation, and significantly improved motor symptoms.
In a study on patients with ALS, those that took TUDCA survived longer than those that were on standard of care treatment. They took 1,000mg TUDCA and survival rate was 49.6 months in comparison to the control group who survived 36.2 months on average. Those within the TUDCA group who took above 1,000mg had even better results.
TUDCA plays an important role in protecting against cell death in certain retinal disorders, such as retinitis pigmentosa. “In retinitis pigmentosa (RP), TUDCA was demonstrated to preserve synapses between photoreceptors and horizontal or bipolar cells, and reduce photoreceptor loss across the retina of rats. Also, when administrated subcutaneously, TUDCA caused a marked reduction in apoptosis, thickened outer the nuclear layers of retina, increased the number of photoreceptor cells, facilitated the development of photoreceptor outer segments, and overall, substantially slowed retinal degeneration.”
“In both retinal damage models: murine model of retinitis pigmentosa (rd10 strain) and excessive light induced retinal damage (LIRD) TUDCA supplementation greatly slowed retinal degeneration.”
TUDCA/UDCA have been demonstrated to possess chemopreventive, anti-metastatic, and pro-apoptotic potential in cancer. As with most things, more research is needed.
“Simply stated, T/ UDCA is a pleiotropic agent with multiple cellular targets that not only inhibit apoptosis but also upregulate survival pathways.”
TUDCA shows cardioprotective effects. TUDCA can help lower cholesterol levels. The dose used for this was 1,000-1,500mg per day for 6 months. Research also shows that TUDCA can also repair blood vessels. It increases nitric oxide. In a study on mice, TUDCA reduced cardiac hypertrophy and improved cardiac function. It also reduced cardiac fibrosis and normalised mitochondrial dysfunction of the heart.
There have even been studies suggesting TUDCA could help in osteoarthritis, helping to restore damaged cartilage.
TUDCA may also help those with asthma and other respiratory conditions. It was shown to reduce inflammation in the airways, decrease mucus production, and lower airway sensitivity
Doses range from as little as 15mg to 1,750mg. One of the most common doses is 750mg per day. This seems to be good for liver support / function. Higher doses of 1,750mg tend to be used for Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s for example.
References / further reading:
