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How to increase dopamine naturally? Opt for L-tyrosine
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Dopamine is your reward and pleasure brain chemical. It is released when the brain expects a reward that could be apparent or anticipated. Good food, sex, exercise, music, socializing, thrill-seeking and other feel-good activities involve the dopamine pathway. Dopamine is also involved in motivation and creating the drive to seek those pleasures. Here’s a deep dive into how dopamine is made and how to increase dopamine levels naturally to enjoy your life.
What does dopamine do to your body?
Dopamine helps your body feel more motivated and affects your goal-getting behaviour. It also plays a part in social interactions. Let’s take a look at how it works.
Does dopamine increase motivation?
Dopamine is released even before you receive the reward and pleasure of an activity, to motivate you to work towards your goals. A study of “go-getters” found that there was an increase in dopamine release in brain areas involving reward and motivation[1 Trusted Source 2012 - The Journal of Neuroscience Human study Dopaminergic Mechanisms of Individual Differences in Human Effort-Based Decision-Making ] . Animal studies found that decreasing dopamine reduced the motivation to dispense effort to choose a good food option[2 Trusted Source 2007 - Psychopharmacology Research evaluation Effort-related functions of nucleus accumbens dopamine and associated forebrain circuits ] .
Does dopamine affect willpower?
Dopamine can help overcome the challenge of taking risks to achieve a possible reward and feel-good experience. Increasing dopamine production encouraged individuals to choose riskier bigger-reward options, compared to smaller safer-rewards[3 Trusted Source 2019 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Human study Endogenous fluctuations in the dopaminergic midbrain drive behavioral choice variability ] . This ties in with dopamine’s love for seeking new experiences, with brain imaging showing activation of dopamine-producing areas in response to novelty[4 Trusted Source 2006 - Neuron Research evaluation Absolute coding of stimulus novelty in the human substantia nigra/VTA ] . Dopamine, in its attempt to seek rewards and new experiences, reinforces that overcoming fears may be rewarding. When a previously fear-inducing event leads to a positive outcome, instead of a negative outcome, dopamine is released. Dopamine uses this relief and reward to solidify the memory of being safe[5 Trusted Source 2018 - eLife Animal study Dopamine neurons drive fear extinction learning by signaling the omission of expected aversive outcomes ] ,[6 Trusted Source 2018 - Nature Communications Research evaluation A dopaminergic switch for fear to safety transitions ] .
Dopamine promotes community spirit
The brain views social interaction as a rewarding experience due to the potential of forming happy relationships and receiving positive social feedback. Activating dopamine brain cells increased social interactions in animal studies[7 Trusted Source 2016 - Cell Research evaluation Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation ] . These areas were also activated in humans looking at pictures of their favourite social activity after being kept in isolation[8 Trusted Source 2020 - Nature Neuroscience Systematic and meta-analysis Acute social isolation evokes midbrain craving responses similar to hunger ] .
Learn more about how does dopamine work by reading an article on 10 dopamine facts.
How can I increase my dopamine naturally?
Protein-rich foods like cheese (or tofu) have the highest l-tyrosine content which is the building block of dopamine[9 Trusted Source Nutrition Data 3rd-party source Top 10 Foods Highest in Tyrosine ] .
Does l-tyrosine increase dopamine?
Taken from food, l-tyrosine crosses into the brain and is converted to L-DOPA which is then converted to dopamine[10 Trusted Source 2016 - Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity Research evaluation The Role of Dopamine and Its Dysfunction as a Consequence of Oxidative Stress ] . It’s important to consume an adequate amount of L-tyrosine for dopamine production.
Which foods increase dopamine?
Here’s what you can include in your diet to get the most out of the natural dopamine boosters.
|
Food (per 100g) |
Tyrosine content (mg) |
|
Parmesan cheese |
2300 |
|
Frozen dried tofu |
1800 |
|
Powdered full-fat milk |
1300 |
|
Beef steak |
1200 |
|
Turkey meat |
1200 |
|
Whole egg |
500 |
Ensuring enough eggs, dairy, plant protein and animal meat in the diet are the natural ways to increase dopamine levels that help your brain produce more dopamine. Wondering how to get dopamine quicker? Here’s how.
Is there a pill that increases dopamine?
Supplementation of l-tyrosine benefits those with inadequate intake of tyrosine-rich foods. brain feed has created the world’s 1st natural 800 mg tyrosine capsule from fermented corn.
How long does it take for l-tyrosine benefits to kick in?
Upon intake, l-tyrosine blood levels peak after 1-2 hours. It stays in the blood for up to 8 hours[11 Trusted Source 2024 - Examine Examine L-Tyrosine ] . Once it enters the brain, it can be used to produce dopamine when the need arises.
Is it OK to take l-tyrosine every day?
The US Food and Drug Administration has labelled l-tyrosine as safe[12 Trusted Source 2023 - FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration 3rd-party source CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 ] . Research studies employ l-tyrosine doses between 500 mg to 12 g per day. Up to 12 g per day over 3 months was noted to be safe[11 Trusted Source 2024 - Examine Examine L-Tyrosine ] . Dangerously high dopamine levels using high doses of l-tyrosine are unreported because the body only uses the amount that is needed and metabolises the excess[13 Trusted Source 2015 - Journal of Psychiatric Research Systematic and meta-analysis Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands—A review ] . Serious side effects of l-tyrosine were unreported when consumed within the recommended dosage.
What should you not mix l-tyrosine with?
L-tyrosine is involved in the production of thyroid hormones and supplementation is contraindicated in those with hyperthyroidism[14 Trusted Source Drugs.com Herbal Database 3rd-party source Tyrosine Uses, Benefits & Dosage ] .
References
[1] Treadway, M. T., Buckholtz, J. W., Cowan, R. L., Woodward, N. D., Li, R., Ansari, M. S., Baldwin, R. M., Schwartzman, A. N., Kessler, R. M., & Zald, D. H. (2012). Dopaminergic Mechanisms of Individual Differences in Human Effort-Based Decision-Making. The Journal of Neuroscience, 32(18), 6170–6176. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6459-11.2012
[2] Salamone, J. D., Correa, M., Farrar, A., & Mingote, S. M. (2007). Effort-related functions of nucleus accumbens dopamine and associated forebrain circuits. Psychopharmacology, 191(3), 461–482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0668-9
[3] Chew, B., Hauser, T. U., Papoutsi, M., Magerkurth, J., Dolan, R. J., & Rutledge, R. B. (2019). Endogenous fluctuations in the dopaminergic midbrain drive behavioral choice variability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(37), 18732–18737. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900872116
[4] Bunzeck, N., & Düzel, E. (2006). Absolute coding of stimulus novelty in the human substantia nigra/VTA. Neuron, 51(3), 369–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2006.06.021
[5] Salinas-Hernández, X. I., Vogel, P., Betz, S., Kalisch, R., Sigurdsson, T., & Duvarci, S. (2018). Dopamine neurons drive fear extinction learning by signaling the omission of expected aversive outcomes. ELife, 7, e38818. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.38818
[6] Luo, R., Uematsu, A., Weitemier, A., Aquili, L., Koivumaa, J., McHugh, T. J., & Johansen, J. P. (2018). A dopaminergic switch for fear to safety transitions. Nature Communications, 9(1), 2483. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04784-7
[7] Matthews, G. A., Nieh, E. H., Vander Weele, C. M., Halbert, S. A., Pradhan, R. V., Yosafat, A. S., Glober, G. F., Izadmehr, E. M., Thomas, R. E., Lacy, G. D., Wildes, C. P., Ungless, M. A., & Tye, K. M. (2016). Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation. Elsevier. https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/102676
[8] Tomova, L., Wang, K. L., Thompson, T., Matthews, G. A., Takahashi, A., Tye, K. M., & Saxe, R. (2020). Acute social isolation evokes midbrain craving responses similar to hunger. Nature Neuroscience, 23(12), 1597–1605. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-020-00742-z
[9] Foods Highest in Tyrosine (n.d.). My Food Data. https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrient-ranking-tool/tyrosine/all/highest/grams/common/no
[10] Juárez Olguín, H., Calderón Guzmán, D., Hernández García, E., & Barragán Mejía, G. (2016). The Role of Dopamine and Its Dysfunction as a Consequence of Oxidative Stress. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2016, 9730467. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9730467
[11] Willis, B. (2023). L-Tyrosine Research Breakdown. Examine. https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/research/
[12] CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 (n.d.). U.S. Food & Drug Administration. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm
[13] Jongkees, B. J., Hommel, B., Kühn, S., & Colzato, L. S. (2015). Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands—A review. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 70, 50–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.08.014
[14] Tyrosine Uses, Benefits & Dosage (n.d.) Drugs. https://www.drugs.com/npp/tyrosine.html
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