Metabolic Effects of Tyrosine Q & A

Question:

I’ve heard great reviews of Prograde Metabo 223 X, but I don’t know much about one of the main ingredients. Can you tell me what Tyrosine is and why it’s in the formulation?

Answer:

Tyrosine is one of the non-essential amino acids for our bodies, meaning our bodies can make it from other nutrients, and as such, is not essential for normal physiology. However, it is very important for many every day functions, especially in people who exercise hard, as you’ll see below.

Tyrosine can be made from the essential amino acid, phenylalanine. It’s found in foods that contain mostly protein, such as turkey, beef, milk, fish, and eggs. It’s also found in smaller amounts in low-protein foods such as oats, beans, and spinach.

Tyrosine has special roles in the body such as creating the catecholamine hormones in the liver and brain: epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. It also combines with the mineral iodine in the thyroid gland for production of thyroid hormones.

Metabolism Pathway of Tyrosine to Catecholamines

Another function is its ability to act as an adaptogen, relieving physical symptoms of stress, such as high blood pressure, anxiety, and mood swings. And, because of its structure, it is an antioxidant, scavenging and neutralizing numerous free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation.

Tyrosine and the Catecholamines

Dietary tyrosine from foods we eat everyday (mostly protein) has the ability to modify concentrations of the catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Human studies confirm that large doses of tyrosine (33mg/kg – 3x per day) can increase blood and urinary catecholamines by up to 25 percent.

Dopamine has many functions in the brain, such as affecting the way our bodies move – people with Parkinson's Disease have low dopamine levels and dopamine neurons . Dopamine is also associated with the pleasure system of the brain, producing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a person to continue doing the same activity, such as in the case of eating chocolate, having sex, and taking certain drugs. It can also make a person feel more satisfied after eating.

Norepinephrine, which is made from dopamine, is involved in the fight-or-flight response of the body during times of stress. It directly increases heart rate, triggers glucose released from energy stores, increases oxygen supply to the brain, and increases blood supply to muscle. Low norepinephrine levels are also associated with depression and increased food intake.  Epinephrine effects are similar to norepinephrine, but they are not associated with depression.

Effects of Tyrosine

Because food contains tyrosine, and tyrosine is the precursor to the neurotransmitters, your diet can influence how your brain functions neurologically, and subsequently, how certain behaviors (like responses to stress and mood) are expressed.

In a 1995 study conducted by the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab in Pensacola, FL, researchers showed that tyrosine administration (150mg/kg) was able to help sleep-deprived and stressed officers perform better on psychomotor tasks than officers who were given a placebo. This stimulatory effect lasted up to 3 hours after officers lost 1 night of sleep and worked for 13 hours straight.   

More recently, in a 2007 study, soldiers from US Army Soldier Research in Natick, MA, were also given 150 mg/kg tyrosine in a food bar while being immersed in extremely cold water (10 degrees C/50 F) for 90 minutes. During the immersion, the subjects were assessed for cognitive performance, mood, and salivary cortisol levels. It was shown that the cold water elevated cortisol, slowed reaction time, increased error on cognitive testing, and elevated depression and tension. However, the tyrosine administration reduced much of these effects, especially improving cognitive ability and memory.

People suffering from depression may benefit from tyrosine as well. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 14 patients suffering from major depression, 100 mg/kg tyrosine for 4 weeks reduced symptoms of depression and showed improvement in functioning.

Lack of tyrosine, and its products, may also be responsible for some of the side effects of oral contraceptives (OC), such as mood disturbances, increased appetite, and anxiety in certain women. Women taking OCs were shown to have 43 percent lower blood levels of tyrosine levels and increased appetite compared to women not taking OC. This indicates that OCs may reduce tyrosine availability to the brain and influence normal functioning.

Finally, tyrosine has been shown to prevent the anorexia and eating disorders that occur with excessive exercise. It also combats fatigue during hard, physical activity.

Side Effects

Tyrosine is generally safe with infrequent reports of side effects such as occasional nausea, diarrhea, headaches, or insomnia in doses over 150mg/kg/day. Insomnia can be prevented by taking the supplement before noon. It has not been checked for safety in pregnancy, so this should be avoided.  

Tyrosine and You

Overall, tyrosine can help you during stressful, intense exercise training periods, such as when you’re really kicking your training in high gear and potentially following a restrictive food regimen. It also can prevent any dangerous appetite suppressions or mental depressions while you’re working really hard to build your fitness level and shed unnecessary body fat.

If you are currently trying to lose weight, then you are probably training at a higher intensity, and possibly restricting your food intake.  So get started with your bottle of LeptiSense today to shed that extra weight as fast as possible.

Click Here to Learn More About When You Combine Specific Nutrients How It Can Acclerate Your Weight Loss.

Resources:
Tyrosine improves appetite, cognition, and exercise tolerance in activity anorexia. Avraham Y, Hao S, Mendelson S, Berry EM. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Dec;33(12):2104-10.
Tyrosine supplementation mitigates working memory decrements during cold exposure. Mahoney CR, Castellani J, Kramer FM, Young A, Lieberman HR. Physiol Behav. 2007 Nov 23;92(4):575-82. Epub 2007 May 22. US Army Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Kansas Street, Natick, MA
The effects of tyrosine on cognitive performance during extended wakefulness. Neri DF, Wiegmann D, Stanny RR, Shappell SA, McCardie A, McKay DL. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1995 Apr;66(4):313-9. Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, Pensacola, FL, USA
Comparison of in vitro antioxidant and antiradical activities of L-tyrosine and L-Dopa. Gulcin I. Amino Acids 2007;32:431-438.

Tyrosine for depression. Gelenberg A, Wojcik JD, Gibson CJ, Wurtman RJ. J Psychiatr Res 1982 1983;17:175-180.
Tyrosine metabolism in users of oral contraceptives. Møller SE, Maach-Møller B, Olesen M, Madsen B, Madsen P, Fjalland B. Life Sci. 1995;56(9):687-95
L-Tyrosine. Alt. Med. Rev. 12(4). 2007. 364