L-Tyrosine is a nonessential amino acid and is an important precursor to neurotransmitters by aiding in production of noradrenaline and dopamine(with the help of several other nutrients, such as folate, B vitamins, copper and magnesium).
Dopamine is a hormone which balances out your reward and pleasure centers. This important brain chemical is also important for memory and motor skills.
Noradrenaline is the neurotransmitter responsible for the fight-or-flight response to stressful situations. It is what kept us alive from danger in whole human history.
Increased availability of dopamine has been shown to increase exercise tolerance in high heat conditions.
In a study investigating the effects tyrosine whilst cycling in 30-degree heat, it was found that those with the tyrosine supplement were able to maintain cycling 15% longer, on average. 5 However, these results were only found in one study and the results on the whole are inconclusive.
Levels of the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine fluctuate depending on whether someone eats carbs or protein since tryptophan raises drastically with carbs and tyrosine does the same with protein and they both have a role in secretion of dopamine, the happy hormone. That means for most people it’s a good idea to include both types of these macronutrients in their diets to control the level of both of these amino acids.
According to some studies, such as one published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research in 2015, it also may be useful during times of physical stress, including people serving in the military since it appears to help with our stress reaction in stressful periods of our life like training(which tend to deplete noradrenaline) and may help prevent stress-induced memory and attention deficits.
Our body has the ability to synthesize it from the essential amino acid phenylalanine which means we do not necessary need to take it from dietary intake.
Still Tyrosine is ample in healthy food sources and people usually do not need to supplement with it. These foods include cheese(In fact, “tyros” means “cheese” in Greek), milk, yoghurt, lean proteins such as poultry, eggs, fish, oats and legumes.
It also produces chemicals that support your thyroid and metabolism process hence aiding fat loss but also helping people who are suffering from low metabolism, fatigue, low tolerance to anxiety, have low concentration span and short term memory problems.
Although it is worth mentioning it Interacts with L-DOPA and thyroid medications in a bad way.
Also people who have thyroid conditions characterized by an overactive thyroid, including hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease, shouldn’t take tyrosine because this might increase thyroxine levels too much, which can interfere with the role of medications and make symptoms worse.
A 2010 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that tyrosine supplementation led to noticeable improvements in alertness after exhaustive exercise. It also has a big effect for meditation and relaxation for that manner.
One study found that tyrosine helped improve alertness for about three hours among people who were sleep-deprived due to working overnight. Participants in the study remained awake throughout the day on which the experiment began and were awake for more than 24 hours by the end of testing. Six hours after the experiment began, half of the subjects received 150 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of tyrosine (in a split dose) while the other half received a placebo. Those given tyrosine experienced a significant reduction in mental performance decline on the psychomotor tasks lasting about three hours compared to the control group.
On the subject of brain function improvement, tyrosine has shown to be effective with alcohol and drug withdrawal as well. New research suggests dopamine actually doesn’t make us feel pleasure, it makes us want it. People with addiction may be depleting or over-sensitizing this pathway, which increases their cravings and drug-seeking behavior
It also helps body produce of melanin. Melanin is a natural pigment that determines the color of hair. When the production of this pigment slows down, hair turns gray or white.