What Foods Increase Norepinephrine Levels?

Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) is the body’s alert-and-ready chemical, and no food supplies it ready-made. The body builds its own from what you eat. So the foods that matter are the ones that supply its building blocks or prompt the body to release more. Food mostly helps when demand is high, such as under stress; on an ordinary day the body tends to make what it needs whatever you eat.1PubMed. Neurochemical and behavioral consequences of acute, uncontrollable stress: effects of dietary tyrosine One group of foods, aged cheeses and cured meats, can push it to dangerous levels in people on certain antidepressants.2PubMed Central. Clinically Relevant Drug Interactions with Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

How Your Body Makes Norepinephrine From Food

The chain starts with phenylalanine, a building block of protein, which the body turns into tyrosine.3Examine. L-Tyrosine Health Benefits, Uses, Side Effects The liver can make tyrosine from phenylalanine, so tyrosine doesn’t have to come straight from food.4Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Potential Benefits Of Tyrosine Supplementation From tyrosine, the body makes L-DOPA, then dopamine, then norepinephrine, and finally adrenaline.5Examine. L-Tyrosine Health Benefits, Uses, Side Effects A shortage of anything this chain needs can limit how much norepinephrine gets made.

Protein Foods Rich in Tyrosine

These foods supply the raw material, but extra tyrosine seems to matter mainly when nerves are working hard. In stressed animals, a tyrosine-rich diet prevented the drop in norepinephrine and the slump in behavior that stress normally caused.12PubMed. Neurochemical and behavioral consequences of acute, uncontrollable stress: effects of dietary tyrosine In animals that weren’t stressed, extra tyrosine changed neither norepinephrine nor behavior.13PubMed. Neurochemical and behavioral consequences of acute, uncontrollable stress: effects of dietary tyrosine Nerves appear to draw on extra tyrosine only when they are actively firing.14PubMed. Neurochemical and behavioral consequences of acute, uncontrollable stress: effects of dietary tyrosine In people, a large dose of tyrosine can protect memory and thinking during strain like extreme cold or heavy mental workload.15PubMed. Behavioral and cognitive effects of tyrosine intake in healthy human adults

A protein-rich diet is a sensible baseline, but piling on tyrosine on a calm day probably adds little. These results come from animal studies and from people given large doses, so they show a principle rather than a proven benefit from a normal meal.

Tyrosine also shares its entry route into the brain with other protein building blocks. In animals, adding a competing building block cancelled tyrosine’s protective effect. A mixed protein meal brings competitors along with the tyrosine, which is one reason high-protein meals don’t simply flood the brain with it.

For a demanding day, include a protein food such as eggs, fish or beans at the meal before a hard task. Vegetarians and vegans can get tyrosine from legumes, seeds, dairy and soy foods. Someone eating very little overall, such as on a crash diet or with poor appetite, is the person most likely to fall short.

Coffee, Green Tea and Chili Peppers

Caffeine blocks adenosine, a chemical that builds up and makes you drowsy.16PubMed Central. The Neurophysiology of Caffeine as a Central Nervous System Stimulant and the Resultant Effects on Cognitive Function With that signal muffled, the brain releases more norepinephrine and dopamine, which lifts alertness and mood.17PubMed Central. The Neurophysiology of Caffeine as a Central Nervous System Stimulant and the Resultant Effects on Cognitive Function After caffeine, norepinephrine in the blood rose more in older men than in younger men.18PubMed. Relationship of blood pressure, heart rate and behavioral mood state to norepinephrine kinetics in younger and older men following caffeine ingestion Tiredness can return as it wears off, and regular drinkers often feel less effect over time. Too much caffeine brings jitters, a racing heart and poor sleep. People with high blood pressure should watch for stacking caffeine with other stimulants.

In lab tests on liver tissue, green tea’s main compound strongly blocked an enzyme that breaks down norepinephrine.19PubMed. Inhibition of human liver catechol-O-methyltransferase by tea catechins and their metabolites: structure-activity relationship and molecular-modeling studies Norepinephrine may then last longer, which could explain green tea extract’s small boost to calorie burning.20PubMed. Green tea extract thermogenesis-induced weight loss by epigallocatechin gallate inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase But that is shown for concentrated extract, not proven for a cup of tea. A brewed cup contains far less of this compound than extracts do. Very high doses of green tea extract have been linked to liver problems, so tea is the gentler route. Expect a mild lift that includes its caffeine, not a metabolic boost you could measure.

Capsaicin, the heat in chili, activates nerve sensors that switch on the body’s norepinephrine-driven stress system.21PubMed. Chili pepper as a body weight-loss food The warmth, flushing, sweating and faster pulse after spicy food are partly this system at work. The effect is brief and tied to the meal, and people used to spicy food often feel it less.

Vitamins and Minerals the Body Needs to Make It

The step that turns dopamine into norepinephrine needs vitamin C.22PubMed Central. High-dose vitamin C improves norepinephrine level in patients with septic shock: A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial That same step needs copper to work.23PubMed Central. COPPER AND THE BRAIN NORADRENERGIC SYSTEM In copper-deficient animals, norepinephrine fell and dopamine piled up.24PubMed. Copper deficiency alters rat dopamine beta-monooxygenase mRNA and activity Vitamin B6 is needed to make dopamine and norepinephrine.25PubMed Central. B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy—A Review Even a mild B6 shortage affects the brain’s calming chemicals first, which can disturb sleep and mood.26PubMed Central. B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy—A Review

Vitamin C comes from citrus, peppers, berries and broccoli. Copper comes from shellfish, nuts, seeds, whole grains and organ meats. B6 comes from poultry, fish, potatoes, chickpeas and bananas. Many tyrosine foods double as copper or B6 sources, so one meal can cover several at once: chicken with potatoes and broccoli gives protein, B6 and vitamin C together. Cooking can reduce vitamin C, so some raw fruit or vegetables helps keep intake up.

These nutrients help when you are short, not by boosting a well-fed body. Shortage is more likely with restrictive diets or poor appetite. Very high copper or B6 supplements can cause harm, so food comes first.

Fasting and Low-Carb Eating

In healthy people, a 3-day fast raised norepinephrine and heart rate.27PubMed. Short-term fasting-induced autonomic activation and changes in catecholamine levels are not mediated by changes in leptin levels in healthy humans Blood norepinephrine roughly doubled by day 4 of fasting, raising calories burned at rest.28PubMed. Resting energy expenditure in short-term starvation is increased as a result of an increase in serum norepinephrine Fasting raises adrenaline, dopamine and cortisol too.29PubMed Central. The Effect of Fasting on Human Metabolism and Psychological Health

Just 3 days of a low-carb diet raised resting norepinephrine about twofold.30PubMed. The effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on performance, hormonal and metabolic responses to a 30-s bout of supramaximal exercise A ketogenic diet raises norepinephrine as well.31PubMed Central. The Ketogenic Diet for the Treatment of Mood Disorders in Comorbidity With Epilepsy in Children and Adolescents Ordinary meals move it too: it rises after meals and falls through the evening, with a bigger rise after lunch than dinner.32Journal of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry. Influence of Food Intake on Concentrations of Plasma Catecholamines and Cortisol In young adults, a carb-rich meal raised norepinephrine while adrenaline dropped.33PubMed. Impact of carbohydrate-rich meals on plasma epinephrine levels: dysregulation with aging

The body raises it when food is short because norepinephrine helps release stored fuel once meals stop. The rise is a stress response, not a sign of better health. The rise builds over days, so skipping one meal or a short overnight gap shouldn’t be expected to match the multi-day studies.

Some people feel jittery, light-headed or irritable while fasting. The rise in calories burned at rest is modest, so it’s not a dependable route to weight loss.

People with heart problems, diabetes or a history of eating disorders should ask a doctor first. Pregnant people and those on blood pressure drugs need medical advice too. Short fasts in healthy adults are generally tolerated but not risk-free.

When Foods Raise It Dangerously

Tyramine, found in aged cheeses and cured meats, pushes nerves to release norepinephrine.34PubMed Central. Clinically Relevant Drug Interactions with Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors An enzyme called MAO normally breaks down tyramine and norepinephrine.35The Carlat Psychiatry Report. The MAOI-Cheese Interaction MAOI antidepressants block that enzyme and let norepinephrine build up.36The Carlat Psychiatry Report. The MAOI-Cheese Interaction As little as 8 to 10 mg of tyramine can cause a life-threatening spike in blood pressure.37PubMed Central. Clinically Relevant Drug Interactions with Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors The bigger the dose, the higher blood pressure goes,38PubMed Central. The Prescriber’s Guide to the MAOI Diet—Thinking Through Tyramine Troubles39The Carlat Psychiatry Report. The MAOI-Cheese Interaction

In people not taking these drugs, the enzyme clears the tyramine from food, so a slice of aged cheese causes no problem. The danger arises only when the enzyme is blocked, so the risk belongs to the drug combination, not the food alone. Some newer MAOI forms, such as skin patches, may carry less dietary risk, but confirm with your prescriber rather than assume.

On an MAOI, the foods to avoid include:

  • Aged cheeses: cheddar and blue cheese are the classic risk.
  • Meats: cured, smoked or fermented kinds such as salami.
  • Drinks and sauces: tap or draft beer, soy sauce and fermented soy products.
  • Old food: leftovers and foods past their best, as tyramine rises with ageing.

A sudden severe headache, pounding heart, stiff neck or sweating after eating should be treated as an emergency, so seek care right away. If you’re unsure your drug is an MAOI, check the prescription label or ask a pharmacist.

Should You Take a Tyrosine Supplement

Older adults tend to have a weaker norepinephrine response to stress.40PubMed. Oral l-tyrosine supplementation augments the vasoconstriction response to whole-body cooling in older adults In older adults, a tyrosine dose restored much of the skin’s normal response to cold, bringing it close to younger people’s.41PubMed. Oral l-tyrosine supplementation augments the vasoconstriction response to whole-body cooling in older adults That task relies on norepinephrine tightening blood vessels, so it shows a possible benefit when the body’s own response is weaker, not a proven benefit for fatigue or mood in general. Most people get plenty of tyrosine from food.42ProSupps.com. Top foods with high L-tyrosine to add to your diet

Supplements deliver a much larger dose at once than a meal does. Because tyrosine competes with other amino acids for entry to the brain, taking it on an empty stomach differs from taking it with a protein meal. Quality varies between products, so look for a clear label and follow the dose it gives.

People taking MAOIs should skip tyrosine, since more raw material could add to buildup. So should people on thyroid medication, as tyrosine is also used to make thyroid hormone. Anyone with high blood pressure or migraines should ask a doctor.

Ongoing fatigue, low mood or dizziness on standing deserve a doctor’s visit. Diet changes don’t replace treatment for depression or ADHD, and a doctor can check iron, thyroid and blood pressure as common causes.