Tyrosine is an amino acid produced in the human body. It can be used as a supplement for different functions like memory, focus, and reasoning. The amino acid might also help with other areas like mood. It’s also used sometimes for tyrosine weight loss. Tyrosine is one of the body’s non-essential amino acids. This doesn’t mean you don’t need it. The term “non-essential “means your body produces it so you don’t have to get the amino acid from food or supplements. Fun Facts: Tyrosine was first found in cheese and the word “tyros” in Greek means ‘cheese.” This amino acid is important for making lots of stuff in the body including different kinds of hormones.
There are some claims that tyrosine supplements can be effective in weight loss. This is due to several possible effects related to things like body fat and appetite, and metabolism. It’s important to note studies show different results about this amino acid’s ability to achieve weight loss. It’s important to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly to get the best results. However, you might be able to boost weight loss by also using a tyrosine supplement. The key is to get the facts and read about studies related to the amino acid.
What Is Tyrosine?
This is one of the 20 amino acids found in human bodies. It’s one of the 11 non-essential amino acids. This means that the body produces it so you won’t have to get it from food or supplements. You can still have a deficiency though due to factors like health conditions.
It’s also interesting that tyrosine is actually made from another amino acid. You can get the nutrient tyrosine from different foods like chicken, turkey, cheese, and dairy.
The main function of tyrosine supplements is for improving brain function. That includes factors like attention, focus, and alertness. Tyrosine makes key brain chemicals that help nerve cells to talk with each other. It might also help to improve mood.
Tyrosine can is also important because it’s used to make different kinds of substances in the body. That includes a “feel-good” chemical, adrenaline, thyroid gland, and coloring for hair, skin, and eyes.
You can find tyrosine in a dietary supplement. It can be purchased separately and also with different other ingredients like a pre-workout dietary supplement.
When this amino acid is combined with “neurotransmitters” (brain/body messengers) it might provide different benefits. That includes ones involving memory, mood, and stress.
As with other dietary supplements, there might be some side-effects caused by taking tyrosine. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified the supplement as “safe. That’s when a dose of 68mg/pound of body weight is taken. That’s a daily dose for up to 3 months.
One thing to keep in mind is sometimes there are “interactions” when you take tyrosine with various medicines. It’s important to inform your doctor about any other dietary supplements and prescription meds you’re taking now. This will help to avoid possible issues.
You can take tyrosine in different forms. That includes “free-form” and something called a NALT. The latter dissolves in water better.
Possible Benefits of Tyrosine
Here are some possible benefits of tyrosine:
1. Depression
The studies involving tyrosine and depression are mixed. The theory is that depression is caused when the brains’ neurotransmitters aren’t balanced.
One theory is that tyrosine might help since it can produce neurotransmitters. However, it’s not clear if that’s the case and more research is needed.
It seems like a logical solution. However, depression is a disorder that’s very complex and varies. This might explain why the supplement isn’t very effective in treating the symptoms. However, depression patients might still benefit from this amino acid.
2. PKU
This is a rare genetic problem that’s caused by birth defects. The gene is important for making a certain kind of enzyme. PKU results when the body can’t convert a substance into tyrosine. This causes a problem making neurotransmitters.
Tyrosine supplement might help to deal with PKU symptoms. However, studies’ results are mixed so it’s not certain whether or not these results usually happen.
3. Stress
Stress is a part of life but it’s important to deal with it effectively. That’s because it can have a negative effect on things like memory and attention. This happens by blocking the messages between the body and brain via neurotransmitters.
Some studies show that tyrosine seems to help by keeping the channels open between the body and brain. In fact, in some cases, other benefits resulted like rodents or humans getting their memories back.
The amino acid also might help with stress-related symptoms. That includes people who cannot sleep well at night. One dosage seems to help people who didn’t get enough shut-eye to stay alert for 3 more hours.
Finally, there isn’t any research to show that using a tyrosine supplement can amp your brain. More research is needed about these issues to find out the effects of the amino acid on stress.
Tyrosine for Weight Loss
Can tyrosine help with weight loss? Some studies seem to show that it can help in areas that can result in weight loss. They include:
1. Stressors
What does stress have to do with weight loss? The body’s stress hormone known as “cortisol” boosts body fat. This is especially true in the stomach area. As you might guess this can make it tougher to lose weight.
When people diet their cortisol, levels are higher. That’s because of factors like fewer calories, workouts, and less sleep. The amino acid can help with these stressors so the dieter is more successful with their diet.
2. Metabolism
When you boost your metabolism, this can help with weight loss since your body is burning calories/fat at a faster rate. How is this related to tyrosine?
This amino acid produces a hormone that boosts the heart rate. When that happens your body releases sugar faster from the energy stores it has.
Another benefit is tyrosine also makes the thyroid hormone, which helps control metabolism and control fat.
3. Appetite
In terms of weight loss, we often focus on how much people eat. This is important since a Big Mac meal has all the calories you need for the whole day, for example.
However, there are other factors like appetite. Sometimes we eat because it makes us feel good. That’s due to factors like the chemical dopamine that tyrosine makes.
Here’s how it works. The amino acid helps to tell your body that you’re full. When that happens, it helps to control appetite. Yes, you’ll still have to use self-control to avoid eating a triple serving of dessert. However, it’s a lot easier when your brain tells you that your stomach’s full.
Studies show that when people boost their tyrosine levels it can greatly lower how hungry they feel. That, in turn, can help in tyrosine weight loss.