How to Increase Dopamine: Nutrients, Light, Gut Health and the Serotonin Problem

Vitamin C can increase dopamine output by 50-100% in cell studies. That one nutrient shows how much of your energy, pleasure and motivation depends on what your brain has to work with. If you want to know how to increase dopamine, start with the raw materials, then remove what blocks it, protects against it, or burns out the cells that make it. This guide covers the nutrition and lifestyle side of optimizing dopamine. 

Dopamine production overview

You have two main brain centers that produce dopamine:

1. The substantia nigra
2. The ventral tegmental area

These dopaminergic centers project dopamine, sending it to other parts of the brain. The prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, striatum and pituitary receive dopamine.

How to Increase Dopamine With Nutrition: The Raw Materials

This is the synthesis pathway for dopamine. Your fundamentals for raw material are:

• Tyrosine (animal protein)
• Iron (red meat, eggs)
• Vitamin C (fruits, juices)
• Vitamin B6 (animal protein)

Vitamin C Increases Dopamine in key brain regions by 50-100%

Vitamin C is needed for the production of dopamine. It also increases the rate limiting enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, as this study shows, and protects dopamine producing neurons from oxidative damage.

L-Tyrosine Cures (Some) Depression

• Many cases of depression are largely dopamine deficits
• These cases have low plasma tyrosine, the precursor to dopamine
• Supplementing it can rapidly replete dopamine

This research on tyrosine and depression shows the connection.

Phenylalanine

Another dopaminergic amino acid is phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is a precursor to dopamine. It also depletes brain serotonin, which should further enhance dopamine production, since serotonin itself halts dopamine output. This study showed the serotonin depleting effect.

How Serotonin Shuts Down Dopamine

Serotonin inhibits dopamine, at every level.

• It connects to dopaminergic brain regions, slowing down production.
• Supplementing its precursors (tryptophan, 5HTP) lowers dopamine.
• Dopamine gives pleasure and motivation. Serotonin gives anhedonia and dullness.

What causes high serotonin? Well...

Inescapable Stress Raises Serotonin

Serotonin is produced in the brain during times of inescapable stress. Essentially, any situation you get put in where you feel helpless. I have written more about chronic stress, the HPA axis and how to lower cortisol.

A Low Tryptophan Diet Massively Improves Depression

Tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin. People with IBS often have anxiety, depression and high serotonin. Lowering tryptophan in the diet is therapeutic, as it lowers serotonin.

What Blocks Tyrosine From Reaching the Brain

Tyrosine gets into the brain (to make dopamine) from the blood. Its uptake into the brain is blocked by other amino acids: BCAAs and tryptophan.

The levels of these other amino acids will be higher after consuming them, and also during stress or insulin resistance.

Carbs Are Important for Dopamine Production

• Carb restriction frees tryptophan from its binding protein, allowing it to block tyrosine uptake in the brain
• Insulin promotes dopamine release
• Insulin also promotes transport of tyrosine into the brain
• The brain relies on carbs for energy

This review covers insulin's role in dopamine.

Support Brain Energy, Support Dopamine

Red Light Therapy

Red light therapy enhances dopamine production. In animal studies, it increases dopamine producing cells by ~40%.

This type of light is absorbed by mitochondria, protecting dopamine producing cells from energy depletion and death. Support energy, support dopamine.

Creatine

Creatine also improves dopamine. Once again, it is a component of the system that preserves energy production in the brain, which allows these neurons to survive and continue to pump out dopamine. This study looked at creatine's protective role in the brain.

I have written more about fatigue, mitochondria and getting your energy back.

Oxidative Stress, Iron and Dopamine Neurons

Vitamin E

Vitamin E enhances dopamine output. Dopaminergic cells in the brain are highly susceptible to oxidative damage, but vitamin E prevents this. Controlling antioxidant status in general is vital for maintaining dopamine production.

Excess Iron

One huge contributor to oxidative stress is excess iron. While we need iron for dopamine synthesis, it can easily become toxic if not handled properly.

The iron can accumulate in the dopamine producing centers of the brain and literally rust them, damaging them.

Lactoferrin and Iron Testing

One thing that can be helpful in restoring iron balance is lactoferrin. It prevents the inflammatory accumulation of iron in cells, as this study shows.

Blood tests for serum iron, transferrin + %, CBC, ferritin and TIBC can help ensure you don't overload. I have written more about lactoferrin benefits and dosing.

N-Acetylcysteine Doubles Dopamine Levels

By serving as a precursor to the master antioxidant glutathione, NAC protects dopamine producing cells from death. It also acts as a neurotransmitter in its own way. This study showed it nearly doubled the survival of dopamine neurons exposed to a toxin.

Antioxidant supporting nutrients are the most important for protecting the dopamine producing neurons.

Low Dopamine Can Start in Your Gut

Endotoxin and subsequent inflammation decimate dopamine synthesis. Endotoxin is from bacteria in the gut. People with low dopamine conditions have high endotoxin.

If you have any type of gut symptom, you can bet you have high endotoxin, too. These are 17 signs of poor gut health to look for.

The gut is almost always the missing factor in people who have low energy and motivation, especially when they don't respond to things that normally raise dopamine. If you need help getting started fixing it, I have written about a root-cause approach to SIBO and gut dysbiosis.

Light, Sleep and Your Circadian Rhythm

Another key to high dopamine is light. Bright light throughout the day suppresses melatonin. Melatonin inhibits dopamine production at dopamine producing brain centers. Bright light therapy can improve low dopamine conditions.

Bright light is also key because it regulates your circadian rhythm. Dopamine, like everything else, is produced on a time dependent circadian rhythm. Circadian alignment also improves sleep. Sleep deprivation causes the loss of dopamine receptors in the brain.

I have written more about melatonin, circadian rhythm and brain chemistry.

Methylation and Dopamine Signaling

This brings us to the regulation of dopamine signaling. Your baseline (tonic) and stimulated (phasic) dopamine levels should be at the proper levels, and complement each other.

This is regulated by methylation (COMT), a system we must nourish to fully capitalize on dopamine.

How can we best optimize methylation for dopamine signaling? A test for homocysteine can clue you in to how your methylation is doing (though it is not all encompassing). I have written more about the right way to implement and assess lab testing.

FAQ

How to increase dopamine with food?

Get the raw materials for dopamine synthesis: tyrosine and vitamin B6 from animal protein, iron from red meat and eggs, and vitamin C from fruits and juices. Carbs matter too. Insulin promotes dopamine release and the transport of tyrosine into the brain.

Does serotonin lower dopamine?

Yes. Serotonin inhibits dopamine at every level. Supplementing its precursors, tryptophan and 5HTP, lowers dopamine. A low tryptophan diet lowers serotonin.

Can a low carb diet lower dopamine?

Carb restriction frees tryptophan from its binding protein, allowing it to block tyrosine uptake in the brain. The brain also relies on carbs for energy.

Can gut problems cause low dopamine?

Yes. Endotoxin from gut bacteria and the inflammation that follows decimate dopamine synthesis. People with low dopamine conditions have high endotoxin.

Does sleep affect dopamine?

Sleep deprivation causes the loss of dopamine receptors in the brain. Bright light during the day helps by regulating your circadian rhythm and suppressing melatonin, which inhibits dopamine production.

How do I know if my iron is too high?

Blood tests for serum iron, transferrin + %, CBC, ferritin and TIBC can help ensure you don't overload. Excess iron can accumulate in the dopamine producing centers of the brain and damage them.

How can I check my methylation?

A test for homocysteine can clue you in to how your methylation is doing, though it is not all encompassing.