The Dopamine Precursor And More

Today’s almonds have been activated by:

⏰ IN A RUSH?

Today’s 30-Second Summary

If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:

• N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) is a form of tyrosine, an amino acid that the body uses to build other things

  • Most notably, dopamine and norepinephrine

  • It can be taken, therefore, as a cognitive enhancer, and is particularly useful in times of stress, when the body’s reserves of those chemicals tend to get depleted

  • It will usually not, however, reverse clinical conditions that have resulted in low levels of those neurotransmitters

  • Notably, it’s generally considered a very safe way to keep those neurochemicals at healthy levels, because it’s adaptogenic, meaning that it’ll not overdo it

    • (unless you’re taking something else that changes that, such as MAOI anti-depressants—consult your doctor or pharmacist if unsure)

• Today’s sponsor, Mindhoney, offers a potent synergistic blend of all-natural nootropics to give your brain a boost of the things it needs.

Read on to learn about these things and more…

👀 WATCH AND LEARN

Top 8 Foods That Increase Dopamine

Today’s video is only 2 minutes long, so we won’t do a menu, but we will say that almonds weigh in at #3!

And the tropical fruit that came in at #2 contains tyrosine, which we’ll be looking at in our main feature today.

But first, we do recommend to quickly take two minutes here:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

💊 MAIN FEATURE

What Is This Supplement “NALT”?

N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) is a form of tyrosine, an amino acid that the body uses to build other things. What other things, you ask?

Well, like most amino acids, it can be used to make proteins. But most importantly and excitingly, the body uses it to make a collection of neurotransmitters—including dopamine and norepinephrine!

• Dopamine you’ll probably remember as “the reward chemical” or perhaps “the motivation molecule”

• Norepinephrine, also called noradrenaline, is what powers us up when we need a burst of energy.

Both of these things tend to get depleted under stressful conditions, and sometimes the body can need a bit of help replenishing them.

What does the science say?

This is Research Review Monday, after all, so let’s review some research! We’re going to dive into what we think is a very illustrative study:

A 2015 team of researchers wanted to know whether tyrosine (in the form of NALT) could be used as a cognitive enhancer to give a boost in adverse situations (times of stress, for example).

They noted:

More on this later, but first, the positive that they also found:

That “but only”, is actually good too, by the way!

You do not want too much dopamine (that could cause addiction and/or psychosis) or too much norepinephrine (that could cause hypertension and/or heart attacks). You want just the right amount!

So it’s good that NALT says “hey, if you need some more, it’s here, if not, no worries, I’m not going to overload you with this”.

Read the study: Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands

About that limitation…

Remember they said that it seemed unlikely to help in treating clinical disorders with impaired neurotransmitter function and/or synthesis?

Imagine that you employ a chef in a restaurant, and they can’t keep up with the demand, and consequently some of the diners aren’t getting fed. Can you fix this by supplying the chef with more ingredients?

Well, yes, if and only if the problem is “the chef wasn’t given enough ingredients”. If the problem is that the oven (or the chef’s wrist) is broken, more ingredients aren’t going to help at all—something different is needed in those cases.

So it is with, for example, many cases of depression.

See for example: Tyrosine for depression: a double-blind trial

About blood pressure…

You may be wondering, “if NALT is a precursor of norepinephrine, a vasoconstrictor, will this increase my blood pressure adversely?”

Well, check with your doctor as your own situation may vary, but under normal circumstances, no. The effect of NALT is adaptogenic, meaning that it can help keep its relevant neurotransmitters at healthy levels—not too low or high.

See what we mean, for example in this study where it actually helped keep blood pressure down while improving cognitive performance under stress:

Effect of tyrosine on cognitive function and blood pressure under stress

Bottom line:

For most people, NALT is a safe and helpful way to help keep healthy levels of dopamine and norepinephrine during times of stress, giving cognitive benefits along the way.

❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE

A very science-based all-natural nootropic supplement!

An important thing we want to mention immediately about Mindhoney is that it has a dozen very well-studied ingredients—there’s nothing speculative or “based on traditional use” here. For most of these ingredients, there are literally thousands of studies attesting to their benefits.

In fact, many of them are ingredients we’ve featured here before for their many benefits, and others were good reminders that we should be writing about them!

You may be wondering: “All-in-one, though? Isn’t it better to take them separately?” And… no, it is not. This isn’t an all-in-one shower gel we’re talking about here.

Simply put: these ingredients are synergistic and each work on connected systems in different ways, each helping the other to work better. So, by taking them together, you get a Gestalt effect—the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Click here to check out Mindhoney’s nootropics and give your brain a treat!

Psst… 10almonds subscribers can use code “STACK15” to enjoy 15% off, and also free shipping! 🤫

Please do visit our sponsors—they help keep 10almonds free

🌍 AROUND THE WEB

What’s happening in the health world…

• Women’s sexual health: Why it matters, what can go wrong, and how to fix it | Sharon Parish, M.D.

• Current estimates of national, state-level, and county-level prevalence of US adults reporting a lifetime diagnosis of depression

• Heart Foundation urges men to adopt healthier habits to improve physical and mental wellbeing

• Bias and Outdated Views Are Keeping Many Doctors from Treating Obesity Effectively

• CDC reports on vaccine effectiveness of bivalent COVID-19 vaccine among vaccinated vs. unvaccinated adults aged ≥65 years in 2022-23

• Could mutated blood cells hold the key to lower Alzheimer's risk?

• Exercise holds the key to improved physical function in older adults in residential care

More to come tomorrow!

📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Stick with It: A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life for Good - by Dr. Sean Young

Most of us know the theory when it comes to building new habits and/or replacing old ones, and maybe we even implement those ideas. So why is our success rate still not as high as we think it should be?

Dr. Sean Young is here to do science to it!

This book comes with advice and explanations that rely a lot less on "that sounds reasonable" and a lot more on "in this recent high-quality study, researchers found..."

And, at 10almonds, we love that. We're all for trying new things that sound reasonable in general... but we definitely prefer when there's a stack of solid science to point to, and that's the kind of thing we recommend!

Dr. Young is big on using that science to find ways to trick our brains and get them working the way we want.

Each chapter has lots of science, lots of explanations, and lots of actionable step-by-step advice.

Bottom line: if you're all over "Atomic Habits", this one's the science-based heavy-artillery for your practical neurohacking.

Click here to check out "Stick With It" on Amazon today, and start enjoying the much easier (and more lasting) rewards!

Wishing you the best possible start to the week,

The 10almonds Team