Tyrosine is an amino acid present in foods like fish, avocado and nuts and is important in the formation of melanin which is the substance that gives color to the skin, eyes and hair.
For this, tyrosine is required to be transformed by the enzyme tyrosinase and, when this enzyme does not function properly, the individual has albinism.
List of foods
The main foods rich in tyrosine are milk and dairy products, eggs, fish and meat but tyrosine can also be found in:
- cashew nuts, nut nuts, walnuts;
- avocado;
- mushrooms, pod, potato, chuchu, eggplant, beet, radish, okra, turnip, chicory, asparagus, broccoli, parsley, cucumber, purple onion, spinach, tomato, cabbage;
- peas, beans;
- rye, barley.
Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid, which means that the healthy organism can produce - therefore not consuming foods rich in tyrosine.
What is Tyrosine for?
The tyrosine serves to help regenerate the blood cells and the body's defenses. Tyrosine is also important to combat depression, anxiety and sleep disorders having the ability to change our mood.