As a health reporter, I’ve covered quite a few so-called fountains of youth—from resveratrol to rapamycin and even, most recently, the humble multivitamin, which may help improve memory. So I was intrigued when I saw a study published in the reputable journal Science that showed taurine could slow aging in a variety of animal species.

Most of us are familiar with taurine as an ingredient in energy drinks, but it turns out there are decades of research on the amino acid, which the study’s researchers built upon. They took a very methodical approach to making their case, and while it’s too early to say taurine can slow aging in people—and way too premature to recommend anything like taking taurine supplements or chugging energy drinks—the stage is set to investigate taurine more thoroughly to see if its remarkable age-slowing effects in animals can translate to people too. Here’s what the research showed:

• Taurine levels drop with age in mice, worms, monkeys, and people. When mice were fed taurine to bring their levels back up to youthful ones, they lived an average 10% to 12% longer than those who didn’t get taurine.
• Worms, mice, and monkeys that were fed taurine showed healthier levels of blood sugar and cholesterol, and lower levels of inflammation, all of which are associated with aging.
• People who exercised to exhaustion on stationary bikes had spikes in their taurine levels in the blood, suggesting that exercise could be a way to boost the compound.

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