It turns out that the amino acid L-tyrosine is not just any other amino acid. Technically, it’s considered a conditional amino acid. This means that while our bodies can make enough of it on it’s own, things like stress, poor protein consumption, and poor rest have a dramatic effect on our bodies ability to produce enough to keep us sharp. So it doesn’t hurt us to supplement it.
L-tyrosine comes from the food that we eat, and the breakdown of another amino acid phenylalanine.
What makes L-tyrosine great for focus and overall mood enhancement so that it is technically a precursor to three important neurotransmitters- dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. As you already know these neurotransmitters/ hormones have a great impact on our moods.
L-tyrosine is also a precursor to thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
Another interesting fact about L-tyrosine is that it is the fundamental component of melanin, the pigment that’s responsible for our skin, hair, and eyes.
There’s a study from the United Kingdom that showed an increase in alertness and vigilance in soccer players that were given L-tyrosine.
Dr. Andrew Weil says that it helps with depression and anxiety faster than conventional herbal remedies like St. John’s wort and prescription meds. St. John’s wort can take up to 2 months to kick in. Prescription meds can take up to 6 weeks to prove effective with cases like depression.
There’s one caveat though. L-tyrosine can raise blood pressure, so if you have high blood pressure, Dr. Weil wouldn’t make supplementing with L-tyrosine his first choice.
On the other hand in 1999 a military study showed that cadets in combat training that supplemented with L-tyrosine lowered their systolic blood pressure. Hmmmm.. Also, they performed better on memory and tracking tasks compared to those taking a placebo.
There are studies ranging from sleep deprived individuals to adults and children with ADHD all performing better with L-tyrosine supplementation.
I think it’s worth a shot if you want that mental edge, especially in such demanding times.
Typically the standard recommended dosage of L-tyrosine for a healthy adult is 500- 1000 mg daily, divided into two to three doses and taken 30 minutes before meals.
L-tyrosine is considered safe when taken in recommended doses. Commonly reported side effects tend to be both mild and temporary, and include headaches, migraine, indigestion, stomach trouble and gastrointestinal upset.
Does the HCG diet really work? Or is it a bunch of hype?
I have never been on the diet before, but I have been on a calorie restricted diet plan.
Calorie restricted diets work up until a point. Meaning that if you don’t watch it, you will run your metabolism into the dirt.
HCG or human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that’s produced during pregnancy that promotes progesterone release.
Back in the 1950’s Dr. Albert Simeons noticed Indian women that were on low calorie diets were able to maintain muscle mass during pregnancy. This got him to start promoting a radical dietary approach that involved dropping a person’s calories to 500 calories per day, and giving them a low dose of hCG.
Sounds good right?
There was a meta- analysis of 24 studies published in the late 1990’s that found that hCG didn’t promote weight loss. Rather, the study proves that it’s the hypocaloric dietary regimen of 500 calories that did all of the work.
Even The American Medical Association has warned that hCG is dangerous, and that it was ineffective in weight loss.
If you ask me, pregnant women’s urine belongs in the toilet and not in our bodies.
Amen
