Explore L-tyrosine benefits: A nonessential amino acid that may boost mood, enhance cognitive performance, and manage stress. Discover how supplements and foods rich in L-tyrosine can support your health.
L-tyrosine is anamino acid(AKAproteinbuilding block) that supports your body, from your muscles to your noggin.
It’s a non-essential amino acid, which means your body can make it on its own, so you don’t have to get it from food
That being said, consuming foods high in L-tyrosine or taking supplements could have extra cognitive and physical benefits – here’s what to know.
What is L-tyrosine?
L-tyrosine is an amino acid that the body produces naturally. Though your bod can prob create enough of the stuff on its own, some research suggests that supplementing with it can boost your mood and help regulate your stress response.
L-tyrosine helps make many vitalchemical messengers, such as:
Supplementing with L-tyrosine is believed by some to boost levels of dopamine, adrenalin, and norepinephrine in particular.
Foods naturally high in tyrosineinclude:
Boost brainpower
L-tyrosinemay improve yourmemoryandmental alertness. Since L-tyrosine increases dopamine availability in your body, experts think it may boost your cognitive performance. In addition to reward centers, dopamine is linked to working memory processes and plays akey rolein the brain’s aging process.
In a2019 reviewof several studies, researchers found that a higher intake of L-tyrosine was linked to improved cognition. It also improved executive functions like brain flexibility, convergent thinking, and reasoning.
However, researchers noted that L-tyrosine is most effective when dopamine and norepinephrine levels are reduced (which basically means when you feel stressed AF).
Improve your mood
Some L-tyrosine supplement companies claim that their products are both mood boosters and antidepressants, but theresultsare mixed.
L-tyrosine increases dopamine, the feel-good hormone that’s linked to reward processing and also addiction. In general,it’s been shownto be a vital regulator of mood, behavior, and brainpower – so it makes sense that getting enough of it could benefit your mood, too.
However, the research on supplementation of tyrosine fordepressionissuper dated, so it’s challenging to draw any definitive conclusions RN. (Plus,depressionis also a super complex condition that involves more than just dopamine depletion.)
And though there are some people dubbing L-tyrosine “natural Adderall” for its purported beneficial effect on ADHD, so far, there’s no research to support these claims yet, either. (Though it is true that there seems to bea linkbetweenADHDand altered dopamine levels.)
Amino acid link
Phenylketonuria is a rare genetic disorder in which the body can’t properly process another essential amino acid, phenylalanine.
Since those with the disorder may also be deficient in L-tyrosine, some experts think that supplementing with it could help relieve some symptomslikeseizures or skin rashes.
However, according to a2021 reviewof several studies, there is not enough evidence to say for sure.
Risks of L-tyrosine
TheFood and Drug Administration (FDA)considers taking L-tyrosine supplements generally safe.
That being said, it’s not recommended to mix with the following medications:
It’s not advisable to take it if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
Research suggests that L-tyrosine supplementation likely benefits your brainpower under stress. It also may benefit conditions like depression, but more research is needed to know for sure.
Like anysupplement, it is a good idea to contact your healthcare provider before adding it to your medicine cabinet, especially if you have preexisting health conditions or take medications.
