L- Tyrosine Benefits for Athletes

By, Brett Bauer

What is it? Tyrosine is one of the non-essential amino acids and has physiological effects when adding additional by supplementation. It almost gives you a sense of “well- being” with a slight mood enhancement. It has been used to help with anti-depression symptoms since tyrosine is a nutrient precursor for most of the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.

When you increase your brain neurotransmitters, tyrosine can help:

• Increase attention
• Fight fatigue in endurance performance
• Decrease stress levels
• Reduce reaction time
• Faster digestion and absorption
• Increased blood concentrations

If you take tyrosine before you work out, it can help improve the intensity of the workout. It is also beneficial for post workout since it can help with recovery of the central nervous system. If there are days where you may be more lethargic, it would be great to increase your intake. Besides taking in a supplement form, you can also focus on eating different types of foods.

Here are some foods that have higher amounts of naturally occurring tyrosine:

• -Spirulina raw – 2046mg
• Soy Protein Isolate – 2008 mg
• Raw Egg whites – 2904 mg
• Lowfat cottage cheese – 1833mg
• Alaskan Salmon – 1774mg
• Light Meat Turkey – 1771mg

Next time instead of increasing your caffeine intake prior to hitting the gym, try upping your tyrosine. You will feel great, have more endurance, and will not have a crash that you may get from caffeine overload.