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Top Four Supplements to Boost Energy and Mood

Everyone wants to feel better. In today’s hectic and fast paced life, we all want more energy and an improved mood.

The problem is that most of what is being touted as mood or energy enhancers is really anything but. If they even work at all, another problem is that they are not natural and can have harmful long-term effects.

The good news is that if you are actively looking for a solution to this problem, there are amino acids. Yes, amino acids are the supplements you learned about back in school as the building blocks of protein. Take a look at four of the most popular.
Continue reading “Top Four Supplements to Boost Energy and Mood”

Tyrosine to the Rescue

The brain is a complex organ. There are millions of pathways, neurotransmitters, receptors and chemicals that all must stay balanced. If these pieces become skewed or imbalanced, they can exhibit themselves in your mood or attitude. Anxiety, depression and other mood or brain related conditions are all connected to the mix of chemicals and hormones in your brain. Maintaining a healthy brain and an ideal mix of all these is sometimes easier said than done. Stress, adverse events, or even over consumption of drugs, alcohol and sugar can all shift the balance of crucial brain components. One way to boost your mood naturally is to supplement with the amino acid tyrosine.

What is Tyrosine?

Tyrosine is a naturally-occurring, non-essential (because it can be produced in the liver) amino acid that is found in a variety of food sources. Dietary sources of tyrosine include chicken, eggs, fish, and dairy products. It can also be taken in supplement form to ensure adequate intake. Within the body tyrosine plays a very important role as a component in the production of norepinephrine and dopamine [1].

Norepinephrine is a hormone vital to the body’s functioning. It’s an important part of the stress response known as “fight or flight”, but plays other roles as well. Norepinephrine levels, either too low or too high, are associated with attention issues, mood problems, and more [2].

Dopamine is an ancient neurotransmitter that is involved in maintaining control of the brains pleasure and reward mechanisms. Having a dopamine imbalance, like norepinephrine, can result in numerous conditions including, but not limited to, binge eating, depression, and even bipolar disorder. Tyrosine is essential to the creation of dopamine since dopamine itself cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, but tyrosine can.

What are the Benefits of Tyrosine?

How can tyrosine help you? As shown above, tyrosine is a critical component to the production of chemicals we rely on to not only maintain optimal brain function, but to live lives with a sense of wellbeing. Supplementing with tyrosine can give your body all the necessary tools to create the ideal chemical environment.

Improved stress response. The correct levels of norephinephrine will help you respond to, and deal with, stressful situations more effectively. Supplemental tyrosine may help improve memory and cognitive performance when stress arises [3].
Elevate Your Mood. Low tyrosine levels have been found in people with mood difficulties or that suffer from depression. Since tyrosine is the main component of dopamine and dopamine is necessary to maintain a healthy mood, supplementing tyrosine will ensure you’re getting all the correct building blocks for this important neurotransmitter and may help boost your mood [4].

Sources

Reduce stress and elevate your mood with NALT

Stress and low moods can create havoc in your body, brain, and life and there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of sources these days. When the body is under stress it goes into survival mode and stops performing at its best. Mental, physical, and emotional functions all suffer when stress is prevalent and the long term effects can be lethal. The body does have natural ways to combat stressful situations, however. One of the main neurotransmitters produced in the brain that help elevate mood and improve brain function in many ways is dopamine [1]. Amongst other things, dopamine is responsible for mood, memory, body movement, and attention. While dopamine occurs naturally in the brain, you can help maximize the levels with proper supplementation. NALT (N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine) is one of the most efficient supplements for boosting dopamine production.

How does NALT work?

NALT is a more bioavailable derivative of l-tyrosine, a non-essential amino acid that can be taken in through food or synthesized by the body [2]. NALT works by increasing neurotransmitter levels in the brain, primarily the important neurotransmitter mentioned above: dopamine. Dopamine controls a wide range of functions in the brain, but primarily gives you an overall sense of wellbeing. Suboptimal levels of dopamine can adversely affect your brain’s reward system and leave you feeling down or depressed. In fact, severe dopamine deficiency is linked to serious medical conditions [1]. Stress also reduces the body’s ability to synthesize chemicals appropriately, so during periods of stress all the effects of deficiencies in essential neurotransmitters like dopamine can be magnified, causing you to feel even more stressed out, overwhelmed, and helpless.

What are the benefits of NALT?

Since NALT promotes the formation of dopamine in the brain, it’s a popular supplement in the health community for naturally elevating mood. Users of NALT report a sense of attentive relaxation, a general sense of well being or feeling good and an ability to focus more intently on and enjoy projects or tasks that they may not have been able to before (this could be attributed to an increase in dopamine since dopamine is an important part of the brain’s reward mechanism). The positive effects of NALT supplementation are further enhanced when stressful conditions arise. As you can imagine, being able to relax and not overreact when you are under emotional or physical stress is very valuable. You can think more clearly, plan out your next actions more effectively, and cope with situations better. Through the elevation of dopamine and other chemicals in the brain, NALT supplementation may help improve memory and mental performance under stressful situations like fatigue, times of grief , prolonged work, or sleep deprivation.

How should you take NALT?

Recommended dosages of quality NALT products begin between 100-150mg/day and increase up to 500mg/day depending on your stress levels and desired results. Since NALT affects dopamine levels, it’s imperative that you consult with your doctor before beginning a regimen of tyrosine, especially if you are already on any kind of medication to treat depression.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine

[2] http://www.livestrong.com

[3] http://www.webmd.com