A group of experts have discovered a key ingredient found in energy drinks that could help boost people's lifespans.
The majority of energy drinks include a little-known chemical called taurine, which is an amino acid more typically found in meat, fish and our own bodies.
The Mirror reports that while taurine is produced by the human body, the level of the key nutrient tends to decrease with age in various species of animal, including people.
Researchers from Columbia University in New York studied middle-aged animals and found that boosting this amino acid can extend life by more than 10 per cent.
The study, published in the journal Science, has concluded that increasing the nutrient could add an extra seven to eight years onto your life.
Researcher Dr Vijay Yadav said: “Whatever we checked, taurine-supplemented mice were healthier and appeared younger.
"They were leaner, had an increased energy expenditure, increased bone density, improved memory and a younger-looking immune system."
Experts also added that if this data was applied to people instead of mice, then it would represent an extra seven to eight years added to life.
Researchers believed that taurine could be an "elixir of life", adding that the acid seemed to "hit the engine room of aging" when increased.
Experts discovered this when they were trying to determine the difference between young and old species in terms of blood.
They found that one of the "most dramatically" lower molecules was taurine, as elderly people had 80 per cent less of the amino acid.
In order to study the effects of taurine on a longer lifespan, the researchers gave a dose to 14-month-old mice - which is the equivalent to about 45 years of age in humans.
The mice not only lived longer, but appeared to be in better health than mice that hadn't been given the taurine.
However, despite these promising findings, the study is yet to go through proper clinical trials.
A clinical trial would see participants given the amino acid and others a placebo pill, in order to find a solid conclusion.
It remains unclear why taurine slows down ageing and if there are any associated dangers in taking it.
The experts also noted that the differences in human biology may stop taurine from working as effectively. With this in mind, the research team urged people against buying taurine pills or energy drinks packed with the amino acid in an attempt to boost their lifespan.
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