March 21, 2022 3 min read

L-Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that the body produces it naturally, but only some have enough. That can be concerning, considering it plays a vital role in regulating neurochemicals like dopamine and adrenaline.

Thanks to its adaptogenic nature, some believe it can have many benefits, like improving cognition, regulating mood, or boosting athletic performance.

Curious about L-Tyrosine benefits for yourself? Here’s what you need to know.

Looking for a tasty product that takes advantage of medicinal mushroom and nootropic ingredients like this? We recommend checking out Lucid Super Coffee.

Key Benefits

  • Stress reduction
  • Improved cognition
  • Increased athletic endurance

1. L-Tyrosine May Lower Stress.

It’s well-known that tyrosine is required for the body to produce essential chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, and adrenaline. These are necessary to experience a balanced mood, motivation, and energy to get things done. Not having enough of these chemicals to go around can result in increased stress levels.

The opposite can also be true–experiencing high stress can decrease the production of these crucial neurotransmitters, which leads to a vicious cycle of stress, low motivation, and fatigue. Some experts believe that supplementing with L-tyrosine can help get your body back on track if you’re running low in any of these departments, which may help you manage stress in your day-to-day life.

A woman working on her laptop after taking her L-tyrosine dose to boost mental performance.

2. It May Improve Cognition.

Stress depletes your brain’s norepinephrine stores. Tyrosine is crucial for keeping the brain running, even during high stress. One study shows that tyrosine can help the brain function even in tasks that invoke stress and require high mental endurance.

Another study found that tyrosine supplementation increased focus and alertness even after exhaustive exercise, although the trial size was small, so more information is needed.

Another small study found that tyrosine supplements may help protect against cognitive decline during extreme physical conditions. The study found that subjects taking tyrosine supplementation experienced a lower cognitive decline when exposed to severe cold conditions than the placebo group.

One more extensive study even found that regular tyrosine doses acquired through diet improved cognitive performance, memory, and fluid intelligence in older and younger adults.

3. It Could Boost Your Mood.

We mentioned that L-tyrosine might help boost the production of certain neurochemicals to manage stress and improve cognition, but what if it could also boost your mood? The dopamine boost you get from regular tyrosine supplementation could do just that. Dopamine controls pleasure and motivation, and it also influences the production of serotonin.

These chemicals play a key role in regulating your mood, and low dopamine and serotonin levels are both markers of depression. More evidence is needed to understand whether L-tyrosine can help manage depression, but it could help keep your mood on track.

An athlete going for a practice run after using l-tyrosine to boost endurance.

4. L-Tyrosine May Improve Athletic Performance.

One small study found that taking a tyrosine-enriched beverage while exercising in hot conditions may boost endurance. Because of its potential ability to reduce stress, some people believe that L-tyrosine can help increase endurance during competitive activities, such as competitive sports.

5. It Could Help Treat Phenylketonuria (PKU).

PKU is a genetic condition usually diagnosed in infancy and prevents the body from breading down crucial amino acids. The condition can lead to brain damage, mental disorders, seizures, and more.

It’s important to note that PKU is associated with a tyrosine deficiency which is thought to lead to the behavioral and cognitive effects discussed previously. Some experts believe that supplementing with tyrosine may help prevent these adverse effects.

However, evidence is mixed, and one study found no difference in growth, nutritional status, or quality of life in participants taking tyrosine supplements versus those taking a placebo. Another study offered a similar conclusion–of 56 PKU patients studies, there was no significant difference observed between those taking tyrosine versus the placebo group.

Conclusion

Many people prefer to take L-tyrosine alongside other nootropic and adaptogenic supplements to create a full-coverage wellness routine. Because L-Tyrosine supplements are not regulated as strictly as pharmaceuticals in the U.S., it’s important that you look for a high-quality supplement that’s well-made and lab tested. Always talk to your doctor before adding new supplements or changing your wellness routine, especially if you take prescription medications.

Resources

  1. “Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands--A review” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26424423/
  2. “The effects of acute and prolonged CRAM supplementation on reaction time and subjective measures of focus and alertness in healthy college students” https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-7-39
  3. “Tyrosine supplementation mitigates working memory decrements during cold exposure” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938407001722?via%3Dihub
  4. “Food for thought: association between dietary tyrosine and cognitive performance in younger and older adults” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29255945/
  5. “Dopamine, depression and antidepressants” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1472-8206.2004.00287.x
  6. “Oral tyrosine supplementation improves exercise capacity in the heat” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-011-1921-4
  7. “Neurobehavioral Problems Associated with Phenylketonuria” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3028461/
  8. “Tyrosine supplementation for phenylketonuria” V J Poustie, P Rutherford https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10796799/
  9. “Tyrosine supplementation for phenylketonuria.” Diana Webster, Joanne Wildgoose https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23737086/

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Optimize Your Life

Kratom Strains: A Beginner's Guide To The Types of Kratom Strains - Vida Optima™
Kratom Strains: A Beginner's Guide To The Types of Kratom Strains

October 12, 2023 8 min read

The three primary strains, green, red, and white, each have distinct characteristics that make for very different therapeutic experiences.
Read More
How to Take Kratom Powder: 5 Methods You Should Try - Vida Optima™
How to Take Kratom Powder: 5 Methods You Should Try

October 12, 2023 5 min read

Here are the best methods, ranging from the most convenient doses to the tastiest kratom doses you can take.
Read More
Can You Mix CBD and Viagra? (Yes, but with precautions) - Vida Optima™
Can You Mix CBD and Viagra? (Yes, but with precautions)

September 29, 2023 8 min read

The two may have synergistic effects, but be aware of possible side effects.
Read More

Subscribe