New Study Identifies Amino Acid That May Influence Men's Lifespan - Video

Higher levels of tyrosine may be linked to a shorter lifespan, with the association appearing clearer in men, according to a new study.

Published in Aging, the study analysed data from 272,475 UK Biobank participants to examine whether blood levels of tyrosine and phenylalanine were associated with the risk of death.

Tyrosine is an amino acid that uses to make brain chemicals, including dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline. These chemicals help regulate mood, attention and the body's response to stress.

Researchers found that higher phenylalanine levels were associated with a greater risk of death in both men and women. Higher tyrosine levels, however, were associated with increased all-cause mortality in men but not women. The difference between men and women was not statistically significant.

The researchers also used Mendelian randomisation, a method that uses genetic differences to explore whether a factor may have a causal relationship with an outcome. Genetically predicted higher tyrosine levels were associated with shorter lifespan in both men and women in the analysis. However, some analyses produced less consistent results, among women.

Phenylalanine was also linked with cardiovascular and cancer-related mortality in the analysis, while tyrosine was not clearly associated with either cause.

The researchers suggest that insulin resistance could be one possible explanation for the tyrosine-lifespan association. Tyrosine may also interact with hormones such as testosterone, potentially contributing to differences between men and women.

However, the findings do not show that eating tyrosine-rich foods or taking tyrosine supplements shortens lifespan. The study was observational, and the genetic analysis also had limitations, including some overlap between study populations.

The researchers say future studies are needed to confirm the association, understand the biological mechanisms and determine whether higher tyrosine levels have effects on health and lifespan overall in the future.

REFERENCE: Zhao J, Sun Y, Zhang J, Ye K. The role of phenylalanine and tyrosine in longevity: a cohort and Mendelian randomization study. Aging (Albany NY). 2025; 17:2500-2533. DOI: 10.18632/aging.206326