LYSINE

About Lysine

Lysine is an essential amino acid that helps the body conserve calcium and plays a role in collagen formation. As an essential amino acid, it is not made by the body and has to be ingested. It is most commonly found in red meat, pork and poultry, oily fish, nuts, eggs and soybeans. Lysine is also available in supplement form and is sold over the counter in most major drug stores.

There are two types of herpes virus: herpes simplex-1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex-2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 usually affects the mouth and causes cold sores. HSV-2 usually affects the genitals and causes genital herpes lesions. However, both strains of the virus look identical under a microscope, and it's possible to be infected on the mouth or genitals with either strain.

Lysine is often used to treat the beginning stages of a herpes flare-up and prevent further outbreaks. The general belief is that the herpes virus uses the amino acid arginine to reproduce and that lysine interferes with that process. By preventing the virus from using arginine, lysine effectively stops the lifecycle of the virus. As a result, herpes lesions either don't form or stop forming, and the body doesn't develop other symptoms of an active viral infection. Lysine does not actually kill the herpes virus--the virus is still resident in the body--but it does impair the growth of the virus and may help the body keep the virus dormant for longer periods of time.

There is conflicting information about the effectiveness of lysine as a herpes treatment. Some people swear by it, and there have been several studies that show lysine's affect on arginine. Ultimately, the efficacy of lysine depends on individual factors such as dosage, body weight, severity of illness, lifestyle and diet.

The good thing about lysine is that it has few side effects, so it's possible to experiment with dosage without having to worry about adverse effects. Even doses as high as 4,000 mg are considered safe. It takes very high doses to reach toxicity, and the body is likely to eliminate any excess through urination before that point. However, because lysine is processed by the kidneys, lysine use is contraindicated for people with kidney or liver disease.

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