(Gray News) – A common ingredient in energy drinks appears to increase the risk of developing leukemia, according to a study published in the scientific journal Nature.
Scientists found that the ingredient known as taurine is a key regulator of myeloid cancers, including leukemia.
taurine is a nonessential amino acid that occurs naturally in bone marrow, the brain, the heart, and the muscles.
Meat, fish, and eggs can also contain it. It is also a crucial ingredient in some energy drinks and protein powders.
Researchers found that it is produced by a tissue inside the bones where myeloid cancers begin and spread. Leukemia cells do not produce taurine, “so they rely on a taurine transporter to pull it from the bone marrow and deliver it to the cancer cells.”
Researchers at the University of Rochester found that as leukemia cells consume taurine, it promotes glycolysis, fueling the growth of cancer.
Prior to the study, it was known that taurine could potentially boost cancer development, but the research does not suggest that taurine itself causes cancer.
According to experts, people do not need to avoid taurine, but they should consume energy drinks in moderation, Health.com reported.
