Tudca x 60 Capsules

DESCRIPTION

TUDCA, or Tauroursodeoxycholic acid, is a bile acid naturally formed in the body that supports the digestion and utilisation of fats and oils and demonstrates neuroprotective benefits.

At the cellular level, TUDCA transports helpful molecules into the cell and helps to protect from cell degradation and apoptosis. It also assists in clearing cellular debris from the mitochondria and cell membrane. In the microbiome, it improves gut bacteria diversity. It has also been shown to support eye health.

TUDCA has been used therapeutically in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia, for hepatic and biliary disorders. We only make small amounts of this health-giving compound in our body, but this bile salt actually influences many different bodily functions. Traditional Chinese medical practitioners have known about the benefits of TUDCA for ages, prescribing it to help detoxify the liver, treat “heat illness” such as fever, spasms, and vision problems, and improve many other conditions.

Bile represents a complex fluid made of water, acids, electrolytes, and other organic molecules. Bile acids, the most functional component of bile, help us digest and absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Bile also breaks down foods, cholesterol, and destroys some harmful bacteria.

Bile helps the body eliminate waste, excrete cholesterol, and regulate metabolism.  Bile acids convert and eliminate around 500 mg of cholesterol from the body every day. This process is called hepatic synthesis. The Liver produces bile, which is concentrated and stored in the gallbladder, then secreted into the digestive system via the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine beyond the stomach).

What is the Role of TUDCA in the Body?

Like many mechanisms in your body, TUDCA is made through a microbial process.

Firstly, bile salts are released into your intestines through your liver bile duct.  Microbes in your large intestine then metabolise the bile salts into ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Next, it gets conjugated to a taurine molecule in order to create TUDCA. This whole process happens naturally in your body and is supported when we have a healthy amount of bile salts.

A healthy person produces very small amounts of TUDCA, re-circulating some 95% of their bile salts. However, poor diet, decreased liver function, and certain medications can impair this process.

What’s the Difference between UDCA and TUDCA?

Primary bile acids are made in the liver, using cholesterol as the base. As bile acids circulate (via enterohepatic circulation), UDCA is returned to the liver and conjugated with taurine to form TUDCA. Besides mitigating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, this process also prevents cell death (aka apoptosis).

TUDCA stands for tauroursodeoxycholic acid while UDCA stands for ursodeoxycholic acid. They are both bile salts, but UDCA is a more common form. When intestinal microbiota (the gut flora) produce the “secondary bile acids,” they make UDCA first. When UDCA metabolises in the lower intestine, it binds to taurine to become TUDCA.