The American Social Health Association estimates that genital herpes---painful, blistering sores on the genitals, buttocks or anus---affects one in five Americans. Some people experience just one outbreak, while others experience six or more episodes per year. For these those who suffer from frequent outbreaks, managing stress and getting enough rest, exercise and nutrition can play a key role in symptom resolution. Although good nutrition always starts with a balanced diet, some foods help people with genital herpes more than others.
Lean Protein
Lean protein sources offer relatively large quantities of the essential amino acid, lysine, at comparatively low quantities of another amino acid, called arginine. In the December 2005 issue of "Alternative Medicine Reviews," holistic medicine specialist Alan R. Gaby explains that the ratio of arginine to lysine reflects the potential for a food to trigger a herpes outbreak, with higher ratios reflecting greater potential. Lean meat, fish, and poultry offer ratios between 0.6 and 0.75. Reduced fat dairy products such as part-skin ricotta, low-fat yogurt, skim milk and low-fat cottage cheese go even lower---between 0.35 and 0.5. The ratios start to increase with plant-based proteins. For example, legumes like kidney beans, lentils and chick peas hover around 0.8. Nuts, since they contain more than 50 percent of their calories in the form of fat, don't qualify as "lean" protein. They also feature the highest arginine to lysine ratios, ranging from 1.8 for pistachios to 78 for macadamia nuts. For people who experience persistent herpes outbreaks despite increasing their intake of low ratio foods like lean protein, Dr. Gaby recommends eliminating high ratio foods like nuts.
Fruits and Vegetables
In the 2007 edition of "Integrative Medicine," University of Wisconsin professor David Rakel, M.D. recommends at least consuming seven to eight servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This may seem like a lot, since the United States Department of Agriculture estimates that most Americans consume fewer than five, often in the form of French fries and ketchup. However, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans call for even more---up to 13 servings per day, depending on a person's calorie requirements. Since Vitamin C inactivates herpes simplex in test tubes, foods high in this nutrient represent a good starting point for people with herpes. Examples include citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, leafy greens, sweet and white potatoes, cantaloupe. papaya, mango, watermelon, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, winter squash, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pineapples. Although it's also possible to obtain vitamin C and other vitamins in the form of dietary supplements, Dr. Rakel emphasizes whole food nutrition because it also supplies other, non-vitamin nutrients like flavonoids and resveratrol that may also fight genital herpes and contribute to general health.
Whole Grains
Whole grains should compete with refined grains and simple sugars as a source of carbohydrate calories in healthy diets. They're particularly important for people with herpes since refined carbohydrates decrease the effectiveness of the immune system. Doctors describe the function of the immune system in terms of B-cells, which produce antibodies, and T-cells, also known as "killer" T-cells, which directly attack viruses and bacteria. According to Dr. Gaby, a diet containing as little as 10 percent of daily calories in the form of sugar reduces antibody production in mice. Dr. Gaby adds that human T-cells exhibit similar impairments in as little as 30 minutes after a meal containing 300 calories of refined carbohydrates. For people with herpes, good alternatives to refined carbohydrates include whole wheat, bulgur, buckwheat, popcorn and brown rice. For variety, patients can try less common grains like amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum and triticale.
References
- American Social Health Association: Learn About Herpes: Treatment
- American Social Health Association: Learn About Herpes: Fast Facts
- United States Department of Agriculture: 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- "Alternative Medicine Reviews"; Natural Remedies for Herpes Simplex; Alan R. Gaby, M.D. ; Dec. 2005
- "Integrative Medicine"; David Rakel, M.D.; 2007
- MedlinePlus: Vitamin C
