<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Joe, Don, Karen and other listmates: I'd like to share a quote about epilepsy from Leon Chaitow's book, Amino Acids in Therapy: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- It is noted by other researchers that taurine is found in the developing brain in concentrations up to four times that in the adult brain. (4 ) Since taurine acts as a supressor of neuronal activity in the developing brain, during the phase when other regulatory systems are not fully developed, it is thought that deficiency of taurine, at this stage, might contribute towards, or predispose the individual to, epilepsy. Taurine has been shown in human trials to have an anticonvulsive effect . (5) Its apparent role is is that it normalizes the balance of other amino acids, which in epilepsy are thoroughly disordered. In epilepsy serum levels of over half the amino acids are lowered,(6) whilst serum levels of taurine are high and cerebro-spinal fluid levels are low. Serum zinc has been found to be low in epileptics, and since low serum zinc results in plasma and urine levels of taurine rising this may be part of taurine's association with epilepsy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- My daughter Grace's amino acid profile from Doctor's Data Laboratory also noted: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [Taurine] scavenges excess hypochlorite ion in leukocytes and allows chemical oxidation of foreign substances and microbes to occur. It helps control the flux of electrolyte minerals (Mg, Ca, K, Na) at the plasma membrane of cells...Taurine has a strong influence on neurotransmitter activity, expecially that of gamma-aminobutric acid, "GABA", and insufficient taurine is linked to some types of seizures. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, you might be asking, what does this have to do with CD? I'm not sure, but I find it interesting that the sulphation problems that have been discussed related to the other type of gluten intolerance may mean there are underlying problems with the sulphur aminos, of which taurine is one. Abnormalities in the sulphur aminos seem to be related to problems with immunity, and I understand celiac to be an immune problem. My daughter's plasma taurine levels were high (18.48 when the normal low is 3.35 and normal high is 11), but she hasn't had any epilepsy, but she does have gluten intolerance, and twelve of her plasma aminos were higher than normal ranges, and none of the plasma aminos were low. Her cystine and cystine levels in urine were abnormally low, and they are both sulphur aminos. Other problems associated with taurine abnormalities seem to run in my family. Have any diagnosed celiacs had an amino acid profile run on urine and plasma? Hope this info will be useful to someone. Susan Owens