TUDCA

Liver Support

TUDCA (Tauroursodeoxycholic acid) is a substance that occurs in your body. It's a bile acid that is made in the liver. It’s for sale as a dietary supplement and is still being researched for many health benefits put primarily for liver protection and gallstones. TUDCA provides many benefits and is well renowned as the most powerful liver protection available on the market.

TUDCA is a favourite supplement among athletes, because steroids are infamous for inhibiting the production and flow of bile from the liver. This effect is known as cholestasis. Build up of high toxic levels in the liver from toxic steroid metabolites can lead to cell damage and even death.  TUDCA competes with the toxicity and protects the cells from dying.

But when it comes to cholestasis, your liver isn’t the only vital organ placed at risk. Oral steroid use causes elevated LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreased HDL (good cholesterol). This dangerous combo leads to an increased risk of heart disease. That’s why liver health protection and maintenance is so important.

TUDCA also helps with blood glucose and insulin sensitivity, it has been shown to improve insulin signalling in the liver and muscle tissue, which would be good for people with diabetes.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for decades. They used it to cure a disease called ‘heat illness. In today’s time, it’s mostly used to cure liver damage in patients and for the treatment of gallstones. It’s also used by bodybuilders to help protect their liver from prohormones or steroid cycles.

TUDCA is essentially the same molecule as ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Specifically, TUDCA is UDCA with an added (conjugated) taurine. Both are bile acids and act on similar cellular pathways. They only slightly differ in solubility and bioavailability in the body.