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10 Best Ways to Increase Dopamine Levels Naturally
Dopamine is an important chemical messenger in the brain that has many functions.
It’s involved in reward, motivation, memory, attention and even regulating body movements (1, 2, 3).
When dopamine is released in large amounts, it creates feelings of pleasure and reward, which motivates you to repeat a specific behavior (4, 5).
In contrast, low levels of dopamine are linked to reduced motivation and decreased enthusiasm for things that would excite most people (6).
Dopamine levels are typically well regulated within the nervous system, but there are some things you can do to naturally increase levels.
Here are the top 10 ways to increase dopamine levels naturally.
1. Eat Lots of Protein
Proteins are made up of smaller building blocks called amino acids.
There are 23 different amino acids, some of which your body can synthesize and others that you must get from food.
One amino acid called tyrosine plays a critical role in the production of dopamine.
Enzymes within your body are capable of turning tyrosine into dopamine, so having adequate tyrosine levels is important for dopamine production.
Tyrosine can also be made from another amino acid called phenylalanine (7).
Both tyrosine and phenylalanine are naturally found in protein-rich foods like turkey, beef, eggs, dairy, soy and legumes (8).
Studies show that increasing the amount of tyrosine and phenylalanine in the diet can increase dopamine levels in the brain, which may promote deep thinking and improve memory (7, 9, 10).
Conversely, when phenylalanine and tyrosine are eliminated from the diet, dopamine levels can become depleted (11).
While these studies show that extremely high or extremely low intakes of these amino acids can impact dopamine levels, it’s unknown whether normal variations in protein intake would have much impact.
Summary Dopamine is produced from the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine, both of which can be obtained from protein-rich foods. Very high intakes of these amino acids may boost dopamine levels.
2. Eat Less Saturated Fat
Some animal research has found that saturated fats, such as those found in animal fat, butter, full-fat dairy, palm oil and coconut oil, may disrupt dopamine signaling in the brain when consumed in very large quantities (12, 13, 14).
So far, these studies have only been conducted in rats, but the results are intriguing.
One study found that rats that consumed 50% of their calories from saturated fat had reduced dopamine signaling in the reward areas of their brain, compared to animals receiving the same amount of calories from unsaturated fat (15).
Interestingly, these changes occurred even without differences in weight, body fat, hormones or blood sugar levels.
Some researchers hypothesize that diets high in saturated fat may increase inflammation in the body, leading to changes in the dopamine system, but more research is needed (16).
Several observational studies have found a link between high saturated fat intake and poor memory and cognitive functioning in humans, but it’s unknown whether these effects are related to dopamine levels (17, 18).
Summary Animal studies have found that diets high in saturated fat can reduce dopamine signaling in the brain, leading to a blunted reward response. However, it’s not clear whether the same is true in humans. More research is needed.
3. Consume Probiotics
In recent years, scientists have discovered that the gut and brain are closely linked (19).In fact, the gut is sometimes called the “second brain,” as it contains a large number of nerve cells that produce many neurotransmitter signaling molecules, including dopamine (20, 21).
It’s now clear that certain species of bacteria that live in your gut are also capable of producing dopamine, which may impact mood and behavior (22, 23).
Research in this area is limited. However, several studies show that when consumed in large enough quantities, certain strains of bacteria can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in both animals and humans (24, 25, 26).
Despite the clear link between mood, probiotics and gut health, it’s not yet well understood.
It’s likely that dopamine production plays a role in how probiotics improve mood, but more research is needed to determine how significant the effect is.
Summary Probiotic supplements have been linked to improved mood in humans and animals, but more research is needed to determine the exact role dopamine plays.