Research suggests that L-tyrosine is an amino acid that can boost brainpower under stress when taken as a supplement. Other benefits are unproven.
L-tyrosine is an amino acid (AKA protein building 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.
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 vital chemical messengers, such as:
- dopamine, the “feel good” chemical associated with pleasure, motivation, and reward
- adrenaline, your “fight or flight” hormone, which triggers you to act fast under stress
- norepinephrine, a hormone that helps with focus and alertness
- thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism and energy
- melanin, which gives your skin, hair, and eyes its pigment
Supplementing with L-tyrosine is believed by some to boost levels of dopamine, adrenalin, and norepinephrine in particular.
Foods naturally high in tyrosine include:
L-tyrosine may improve your memory and mental 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 a key role in the brain’s aging process.
In a 2019 review of 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).
Some L-tyrosine supplement companies claim that their products are both mood boosters and antidepressants, but the results are mixed.
L-tyrosine increases dopamine, the feel-good hormone that’s linked to reward processing and also addiction. In general, it’s been shown to 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 for depression is super dated, so it’s challenging to draw any definitive conclusions RN. (Plus, depression is 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 be a link between ADHD and altered dopamine levels.)
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 symptoms like seizures or skin rashes.
However, according to a 2021 review of several studies, there is not enough evidence to say for sure.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers taking L-tyrosine supplements generally safe.
That being said, it’s not recommended to mix with the following medications:
- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
- thyroid hormones
- Levodopa (L-dopa)
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 any supplement, 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.
