How Phenylalanine and Tyrosine Affect Longevity | Aging-US

Aging-US #published this #trending research paper on October 3, 2025, in Volume 17, Issue 10, entitled “The role of phenylalanine and tyrosine in longevity: a cohort and Mendelian randomization study" by #researchers from the School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, GA; Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, GA. #aging #longevity #lifespan #phenylalanine #tyrosine #research #openaccess #openscience #peerreviewed #journal #publishing #meded DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206326 Corresponding author - Jie V. Zhao - janezhao@hku.hk Abstract Background: Protein restriction increases lifespan, however, the specific amino acids affecting lifespan are unclear. Tyrosine and its precursor, phenylalanine, may influence lifespan through their response to low-protein diet, with possible sex disparity. Methods: We applied cohort study design and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Specifically, we examined the overall and sex-specific relationships between circulating phenylalanine and tyrosine and all-cause mortality in the UK Biobank using Cox regression. To test causality, in two-sample MR analysis, we used genetic variants associated with phenylalanine and tyrosine in UK Biobank with genome-wide significance and uncorrelated (r2 less than 0.001) with each other, and applied them to large genome-wide association studies of lifespan, including parental, paternal, and maternal attained ages in the UK Biobank. We also conducted multivariable MR to examine the independent role of phenylalanine and tyrosine. Results: Tyrosine was associated with shorter lifespan in both observational and MR study, with potential sex disparity. After controlling for phenylalanine using multivariable MR, tyrosine remained related to a shorter lifespan in men (−0.91 years of life, 95% confidence interval (CI) −1.60 to −0.21) but not in women (−0.36 years, 95% CI −0.96 to 0.23). Phenylalanine showed no association with lifespan in either men or women after controlling for tyrosine. Conclusions: Reducing tyrosine in people with elevated concentrations may contribute to prolonging lifespan, with potential sex-specific differences. It is worthwhile to explore pathways underlying the sex-specific effects. Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://aging.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Faging.206326 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Aging - https://www.aging-us.com/subscribe-to-toc-alerts Keywords - aging, lifespan, phenylalanine, tyrosine, mendelian randomization, sex-specific To learn more about the journal, please visit https://www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us on social media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AgingUS/ X - https://twitter.com/AgingJrnl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agingjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Aging-US LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging/ Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/aging-us.bsky.social Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/AgingUS/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1X4HQQgegjReaf6Mozn6Mc MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM