Page 24 - Summer 2017 Journal

The modern lifestyle of sun avoidance and exposure to toxic chemicals through food, sunscreen or other environmental insults results in impaired cholesterol sulfate synthesis in the skin mediated by sunlight.
World Health Organization population study revealed an inverse association between taurine excretion and ischemic heart disease mortality.77
Reperfusion causes a burst in oxygen con-
sumption through diversion of the electrons
from the electron chain into superoxide produc-
78,79
tion. (The addition of one electron to oxygen
produces superoxide.) Although superoxide—a reactive oxygen species—is generally viewed as “bad,” I argue that a key purpose of superoxide production in this instance is to oxidize sulfur (derived from serum cysteine or homocysteine reserves) from a negative oxidation state (-2) to a positive oxidation state (+6), producing sulfate from sulfide and consuming two superoxide anions. In other words, superoxide is necessary as a reactant to be able to produce sulfate from these reduced sulfur sources. Several enzymes working in conjunction with the mitochondrial electron chain are involved in oxidizing hydrogen sulfide to sulfate and thiosulfate.80 (In fact, thio- sulfate may be the primary source of sulfur that is oxidized by eNOS.10) Homocysteine thiolactone is converted to sulfate in the presence of super- oxide, catalyzed by vitamin A and vitamin C,81 possibly explaining the positive role of vitamin C in protection from cardiovascular disease.82
Taurine’s widespread health benefits to the cardiovascular system83 include its ability to inhibit the osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells that leads to artery calcifi- cation.84 Taurine showed protection against the loss of mechanical function in rat hearts in both a heart failure and ischemia model.85 Taurine also suppresses the production of superoxide during reperfusion.86 I propose that this beneficial suppressive effect is achieved mainly because
taurine already contains sulfur at a positive oxidation state of +5; hence only one-sixth as much superoxide is needed to produce an equivalent amount of sulfate (+6). The fact that taurine is normally inert also makes it a great choice for buffering as a precursor to sulfate. As previously noted, hypochlorite is needed to convert taurine into the more reactive molecule, taurine chloramine, from which sulfate can be derived with the help of superoxide and perhaps microbial enzymes. Species of clostridium are able to utilize sulfonate forms of sulfur such as taurine as an energy source. More generally, anaerobic bacteria can convert taurine directly to thiosulfate.61
Experiments have confirmed that taurine can be broken down to sulfoacetaldehyde by neutrophils, with taurine chloramine as an intermediary, through nonenzymatic hydroly- sis catalyzed by hydrogen peroxide.87 With an adequate source of energy, sulfoacetaldehyde can react with phosphate to produce acetyl phos- phate and sulfite. Sulfite can then be oxidized to sulfate via enzymatic action of sulfite oxidase. I propose that this reaction takes place during a heart attack. A China-based study of possible associations between biochemical, dietary and lifestyle factors and cardiovascular disease that did not find any relationship with serum cholesterol but showed a protective effect for molybdenum88 could be explained by the fact that molybdenum is a cofactor for sulfite oxidase.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
If the ideas proposed here are valid, they suggest some very simple measures that can
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HEART DISEASE
• Make sure that the foods you buy are certified organic, or know your farmer and verify that he or she does not use pesticides.
• Eat sulfur-containing foods such as seafood, eggs, cheese, grass-fed beef, cruciferous vegetables, garlic and onions.
• Include red meat and fish in the diet; they are excellent sources of taurine.
• Get plenty of sun exposure to the skin and eyes without sunscreen and without sunglasses.
• Take frequent hot baths with Epsom salts added to the water.
• Just say “no” to statin drugs.
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Wise Traditions
SUMMER 2017