Lethality of Taurine and Alcohol Coadministration in Mice - Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology - page 34

be divided into two subgroups, one of which had blood glucose about 6 mmol/l and
the other 2.2 mmol/l, which is very low and may be the reason for death. We would
suggest that these two subgroups could explain why only 70% of the taurine- and
ethanol-treated mice died. The remaining 30% may have had a less dangerous level
of blood glucose (6 mmol/l).

4.5 Conclusion

In summary, our finding would indicate that taurine alone administered even at high
doses is safe for mice. In contrast, a combination of high doses of taurine with alcohol has
a toxic effect and will kill the animals. This lethal effect of taurine and ethanol coadmin-
istration may be related to a dramatic drop in blood glucose. Comparison of the lethal
doses of taurine and ethanol coadministration in 7-day-old adult and old mice allows us
to conclude that the adverse effects of this combined toxicity is age dependent. The pres-
ent findings constitute a serious warning of the toxic interactions of taurine and ethanol
particularly for young people mixing taurine-containing energy drinks with alcohol.

Acknowledgements This study was supported by the competitive research funding of the
Pirkanmaa Hospital District, the Maud Kuistila Memorial Foundation, and the Finnish Foundation
for Alcohol Studies. We thank Dr. Tiina Solakivi who offered invaluable help with blood glucose
determinations.

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