Herpes zoster is a unique, one-sided, blistering skin disease that reflects reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that causes chicken pox upon initial infection. While chicken pox usually causes itching, herpes zoster causes pain that may be severe and long lasting. Diets that emphasize the essential amino acid lysine may confer benefits on the severity or duration of herpes zoster symptoms.
Relationship
In a test tube, lysine appears to inhibit the growth of another virus, called herpes simplex, mainly by counteracting the growth-promoting effects of another amino acid, called arginine. Because herpes simplex and herpes zoster belong to the same family, the University of Michigan Health System says "some doctors" believe that increasing lysine intake could help people with herpes zoster. However, UMHS acknowledges that no studies have been performed to substantiate this belief.
Sources
People can obtain lysine by eating lysine-rich foods such as poultry, fish, meat, dairy products and legumes. Choosing low-fat or lean versions of these foods adds to their healthfulness, independent of any effects on herpes zoster. People can also purchase lysine as a dietary supplement in the form of powder, liquid or tablets at many grocery and drug stores. Limiting arginine intake by temporarily avoiding foods such as nuts, seeds, chocolate and gelatin may enhance the effectiveness of increasing lysine intake through food or dietary supplements.
Risks
The main risk of consuming lysine for herpes zoster is that it will have no effect. All of the studies on lysine have been performed on people with herpes simplex which is a similar, but different, virus. Another problem, as University of Wisconsin professor David Rakel, M.D., notes in the 2007 edition of "Integrative Medicine," is that "clinical studies"---meaning tests in people---"show mixed results." A third problem is that all of the studies---six in total---were conducted in people consuming lysine from dietary supplements, not food, although both UMHS and Rakel recommend the opposite--obtaining lysine from food, not supplements.
Benefits
The main benefit of consuming lysine for herpes zoster is that it may reduce the severity or duration of symptoms. One of the larger studies, conducted by Indiana University professor Richard Griffith, M.D., and published in the April 1987 edition of the journal "Dermatologica," reported that 74 percent of people who took lysine found it "effective" or "very effective" compared to 28 percent of people who took a placebo. Because low-fat or lean versions of lysine-rich foods are compatible with a healthful diet, pursuing a lysine-rich diet also contributes to general health.
Considerations
Lysine does not replace conventional medical treatment for herpes zoster or any other conditions. People who consider consuming lysine for herpes zoster should do so only in consultation with a physician. Although herpes zoster usually resolves without treatment, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke recommends prescription antiviral drugs. Not only have prescription drugs been proven to reduce the severity and duration of symptoms, they also decrease the risk of complications of herpes zoster, including post-herpetic neuralgia, a chronic pain condition in which zoster pain persists long after skin symptoms have healed.
References
- University of Michigan Health System: Shingles and Postherpetic Neuralgia
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Shingles: Hope Through Research
- "Integrative Medicine"; David Rakel, M.D.; 2007
- "Dermatologica"; Success of L-Lysine Therapy in Frequently Recurrent Herpes Simplex Infection; Richard S. Griffith, M.D. et al.; April 1987
