Many people take tyrosine supplements for a variety of neurological and mental health issues, such as stress, depression, ADHD, narcolepsy, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. It is also used to ease withdrawal symptoms while quitting and recovering from substance abuse.
Some people use tyrosine supplements for heart disease, sexual dysfunction, chronic fatigue, and sexual dysfunction. It has also been found that tyrosine boosts attention, focus, alertness, motivation, and concentration.
So, how does tyrosine help to treat these conditions? Before understanding how it acts, it is important to know what it is.
Tyrosine is one of the amino acids that is naturally produced in the body from a chemical called phenylalanine. It was first discovered in cheese protein, which is why it is derived from the Greek word “tyros” for cheese. Tyrosine is a conditional amino acid, which means your body naturally secretes.
Tyrosine produces three important brain chemicals – dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine – which are used by nerve cells to communicate with each other. In addition, tyrosine produces thyroid hormones and melanin.
It is found mainly in foods rich in protein, such as eggs, poultry, meat, fish, dairy, soy, peanuts, nuts and seeds, avocados, and bananas.
How does tyrosine help treat mental health issues?
Most mental health issues are associated with poor secretion of brain chemicals such as dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. And tyrosine helps produce these neurotransmitters, helping to treat a variety of mental health conditions.
Studies have confirmed that tyrosine can actively be transported across the blood-brain barrier where it increases the secretion of neurotransmitters, thereby improving neurological conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Researchers hypothesized that depression is often caused by poor secretion of serotonin, another important brain chemical. However, there could be other factors, such as low dopamine, low norepinephrine, and brain inflammation, responsible for causing depression.
Most antidepressant drugs belong to the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which work by increasing the secretion of serotonin in the brain. And tyrosine has also been found to have an action on boosting serotonin, which is why it is also considered a good natural antidepressant.
Several studies have found that tyrosine has a surprising action on the harmful effects of extreme stress. In fact, some studies, conducted on the US military, found that it helps improve performance under extremely stressful situations.
Some clinicians prescribe tyrosine supplements as an adjuvant therapy to patients who have ADHD. It is believed that ADHD patients have poor dopamine secretion, which is why they are prescribed tyrosine along with other ADHD medications for better clinical outcomes.
