Tyrosine facts for kids

Tyrosine (often shortened to Tyr or Y) is an important building block for your body, like a tiny LEGO brick! It's one of the 20 special pieces called amino acids that your cells use to build proteins. It's also known as 4-hydroxyphenylalanine.

Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid. This means your body can actually make it on its own, so you don't always have to get it directly from food. Your body can create tyrosine from another amino acid called phenylalanine.

When tyrosine is part of a larger molecule or chain, it's sometimes called tyrosyl.

Where can you find Tyrosine?

You can find tyrosine in many foods that are rich in protein. Some common examples include:

• Chicken and turkey
• Fish
• Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese
• Nuts such as peanuts and almonds
• Seeds like pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds
• Soy products
• Lima beans
• Fruits like avocados and bananas
• Eggs

Images for kids

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  L-Tyrosine

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  L-Tyrosine at physiological pH

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  Conversion of phenylalanine and tyrosine to its biologically important derivatives.

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  The decomposition of tyrosine to acetoacetate and fumarate. These can then enter the citric acid cycle.

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  Enzymatic oxidation of tyrosine by phenylalanine hydroxylase (top) and non-enzymatic oxidation by hydroxyl free radicals (middle and bottom).

See also

In Spanish: Tirosina para niños