Can this much-hyped supplement really make your hair darker?

gossip

“Taking tyrosine supplements can really make your hair darker!”

There is a saying that eating foods rich in tyrosine regularly can promote the formation of melanin, and taking tyrosine supplements can make your hair darker.

Rumor Analysis

This statement is not entirely accurate.

Gray hair is usually related to aging, genetic factors, nutritional status, environmental factors and lifestyle. Although tyrosine is an important raw material for melanin synthesis, supplementing tyrosine cannot directly make hair darker.

Gray hair overnight, premature gray hair, more gray hair after childbirth... Gray hair due to various reasons makes people look aged prematurely. Whoever has black hair has obtained the code of youth.

Therefore, a variety of supplements claiming to darken hair have emerged on the market, among which tyrosine supplements are particularly popular. As an amino acid, tyrosine is considered an important raw material for the formation of melanin, so it is regarded by many as a "savior" for darkening hair.

However, can taking tyrosine supplements really make your hair darker?

Tyrosine is the raw material of melanin

But gray hair is not necessarily caused by tyrosine deficiency

First of all, we need to be clear about why people grow white hair?

Gray hair is actually caused by the reduction of melanin in the scalp hair follicles. Lack of nutrients such as vitamin B12 and copper, psychological stress, and ultraviolet radiation can cause hair to turn gray prematurely. A large population study reported that 6% to 23% of people will have half of their hair turn gray before the age of 50.

Tyrosine is indeed very important for the synthesis of melanin. This is because tyrosine is the raw material in the process of melanin synthesis. Under the action of a series of enzymes, it undergoes oxidation, decarboxylation and other reactions and is finally converted into melanin.

However, the synthesis of melanin does not only depend on tyrosine, because the formation of melanin is also affected by many other factors , such as age, genetics, nutrition, endocrine, mental stress, etc. These may lead to reduced activity or quantity of tyrosinase, or synthesis disorders, or a decrease in the number of hair matrix melanocytes, thus affecting the synthesis of melanin.

Therefore, tyrosine supplements are only suitable for graying hair caused by tyrosine deficiency, and are not helpful for gray hair caused by other reasons . However, tyrosine is generally not easy to be deficient in healthy people, because tyrosine can be synthesized in the body and is also widely present in food.

Tyrosine is a conditionally essential amino acid. What is a conditionally essential amino acid? This amino acid can be synthesized from other amino acids in the body under healthy conditions, such as phenylalanine can synthesize tyrosine. However, in the case of trauma, infection and certain wasting diseases, this amino acid cannot meet the body's needs and must be obtained from food.

That is to say, in a healthy state, even if there is no tyrosine in the food, the body will generally not be deficient .

Moreover, most foods contain tyrosine, such as soy products, chicken, fish, peanuts, almonds, bananas, milk, sesame, etc., so healthy people are not prone to tyrosine deficiency.

Few human experiments

More high-quality research is needed to confirm

In order to further verify the effect of tyrosine supplements on hair color, we need to refer to some experimental research evidence. However, there are not many studies on the relationship between tyrosine supplements and hair color, whether in domestic or foreign literature, and the effect of tyrosine supplements on hair color is not clear.

There are some animal studies that have shown that dietary tyrosine levels are associated with the expression of black fur in animals, but the results of animal studies are not entirely representative of human responses under the same circumstances.

Most international authoritative organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have not made clear statements on the relationship between tyrosine supplements and hair color. These organizations are more concerned with the role of tyrosine in other aspects, such as its impact on human health and appropriate intake.

The author has only seen relevant descriptions in the "Scientific Opinion on the Safety and Effectiveness of L-Tyrosine for All Animals" on the official website of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the summary is:

The coat color of cats is affected by tyrosine in their diet, which suggests that adding tyrosine to the diet is effective in darkening the coat color when the requirement for tyrosine for melanin formation is high.

In other animals (including humans), tyrosine may have the potential to enhance pigmentation, but the evidence is currently limited.

Image source: EFSA source document

In general, international authorities are also cautious about the effect of tyrosine supplements on darkening hair. In addition to the lack of guarantee of effect, additional tyrosine supplementation may cause some adverse reactions.

Additional tyrosine supplementation

Possible side effects

You may ask, the effect is not guaranteed, but will there be any harm in taking additional tyrosine?

Although the safety of long-term and high-dose tyrosine supplementation is still unknown, as a supplement, tyrosine is almost safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers tyrosine supplements to be generally safe (GRAS). Studies have tested tyrosine at a dose of 150 mg per kilogram of body weight and found no health hazards.

However, there are some reports that consumers experience nausea, fatigue, and headaches after taking tyrosine supplements. On WebMD, an American Internet medical health information service platform, users often see such side effects in their reviews of tyrosine.

Image source: WebMD official website

In addition to the possible discomfort mentioned above, additional tyrosine supplementation may aggravate the condition for those who already suffer from thyroid disease.

The body uses tyrosine to produce thyroid hormones, and taking extra tyrosine may increase thyroid hormone levels too much, which may make overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and Grave's disease worse. If you already have a thyroid disease, taking tyrosine supplements may make it worse.

In addition, tyrosine may interact with some drugs, such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors and levodopa. If you have the above conditions and plan to take tyrosine supplements, be sure to communicate with your doctor in advance.

A Mixed Bag of Tyrosine Products

It is not recommended to act blindly

In the market, we can see a wide variety of tyrosine supplements from various brands with different slogans. However, among these products, there are only a few that can really achieve the expected results.

First of all, the quality of tyrosine supplements on the market varies. Some are added with low-quality tyrosine, and some may contain unknown ingredients. These products may not only fail to achieve the expected results, but may also cause adverse effects on the body.

Image source: Product details page of e-commerce platform

Secondly, even some high-quality tyrosine supplements may have different effects on different people. The causes of gray hair are different for each person, so the effects of tyrosine supplements on each person will also be different.

It is rare for hair to turn gray due to tyrosine deficiency, so blindly supplementing tyrosine is not a wise move.

Image source: Screenshot of a platform

In addition, tyrosine supplements on the market often exaggerate, claiming that they can quickly darken hair. However, the change of hair color is a complex process, and simply taking tyrosine does not guarantee that hair will turn black. Therefore, consumers need to be rational when choosing these products and not blindly believe in the promotional slogans.

In summary, taking tyrosine supplements does not guarantee that your hair will turn black. In addition, the quality of tyrosine supplements on the market varies, and consumers need to be rational when choosing.

Copyrighted stock images, no reproduction is authorized

Gray hair is mainly caused by the reduction or cessation of melanin production in the melanocytes in the hair follicles, which is usually related to aging, genetic factors, nutritional status, environmental factors and lifestyle. Tyrosine has a certain effect on hair color, but supplementing tyrosine is not an effective way to directly darken hair.

In general, although tyrosine is an important raw material for the synthesis of melanin, supplementing tyrosine cannot directly make hair darker. If you really want to improve the color of your hair, it is recommended to start from multiple aspects.

First of all, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, and taking in various nutrients will help maintain good health and normal hair growth. Secondly, avoid excessive hair dyeing, perming, and other behaviors that damage hair. At the same time, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as avoiding excessive exposure to the sun, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, will also help maintain the health and color of hair. Finally, it is also very important to maintain a good mood and learn how to relieve stress.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

The occurrence of an event is often the result of multiple factors and effects. If you only supplement with a single food, you often cannot achieve the desired effect. If you see blind exaggeration of the magical effect of a food, you should be careful.

References

[1]https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/tyrosine

[2]Kumar AB, Shamim H, Nagaraju U. Premature Graying of Hair: Review with Updates. Int J Trichology. 2018 Sep-Oct;10(5):198-203. doi: 10.4103/ijt.ijt_47_18. PMID: 30607038; PMCID: PMC6290285.

[3]WebMD.Tyrosine - Uses, Side Effects, and More.https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1037/tyrosine

[4]Cleveland Clinic.Should You Try an L-Tyrosine Supplement? A Look at Its Benefits and Side Effects.https://health.clevelandclinic.org/l-tyrosine

[5]Watson A, Wayman J, Kelley R, Feugier A, Biourge V. Increased dietary intake of tyrosine upregulates melanin deposition in the hair of adult black-coated dogs. Anim Nutr. 2018 Dec;4(4):422-428. doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2018.02.001. Epub 2018 Feb 16. PMID: 30564763; PMCID: PMC6286625.

[6]Morris JG, Yu S, Rogers QR. Red hair in black cats is reversed by addition of tyrosine to the diet. J Nutr. 2002 Jun;132(6 Suppl 2):1646S-8S. doi: 10.1093/jn/132.6.1646S. PMID: 12042480.

[7]EFSA.Scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of L-tyrosine for all animal species

Planning and production

Author: Li Chun, National Registered Nutritionist

Review | Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital

Editor: Wang Mengru

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