Herpes is the common name for disease caused by one of two types of the herpes simplex virus. According to MedlinePlus, a patient information service maintained jointly by the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine, some people with herpes have no symptoms at all. More commonly, an infected person experiences several outbreaks per year, especially during the first few years after the disease is acquired. L-lysine is an essential amino acid that has attracted attention for its alleged ability to reduce the duration and severity of symptoms, as well as prevent recurrences.
History
Interest in L-lysine dates back to a letter published in the Jan. 26, 1974, edition of the medical journal "Lancet." In it, radiologist Christopher Kagan, M.D. describes his experience with a patient who had such severe oral herpes, that he patient was unable to complete a barium swallow test ordered for another condition. Kagan says that he recommended that the patient take L-lysine and, one week later, the patient returned, his symptoms completely resolved. Subsequently, eight additional studies on L-lysine and herpes have been performed. Two have focused directly on the effectiveness of L-lysine for prophylaxis.
Relationship
A 1981 study published in "Chemotherapy" by Indiana University infectious disease specialist Richard S. Griffith revealed that, at least in test tubes, L-lysine inhibits the spread of the herpes by counteracting the growth-promoting effects of another amino acid, called L-arginine. L-arginine, according to Griffith, cues the virus to begin growing and provides the raw material to support that spread. L-lysine not only reverses the effects of L-arginine on the virus, it also competes with L-arginine for uptake by infected cells. Both properties are required for prophylaxis.
Sources
L-lysine occurs naturally in most protein-rich foods, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, soybeans and legumes. Notable exceptions include nuts, seeds and gelatin, which contain low levels of L-lysine and high levels of L-arginine. However, according to holistic medicine specialist Alan R. Gaby, M.D. in the December 2005 edition of "Alternative Medicine Reviews," all of the studies on L-lysine and herpes have focused on L-lysine from dietary supplements. The typical prophylactic dose ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 mg per day, often divided into three separate doses to maximize absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.
Safety
L-lysine does not replace conventional medical treatments for the prophylaxis of herpes or any other condition. Dr. Gaby says that doses up to 6 g L-lysine per day are safe for most people. People with heart, liver, kidney or gallbladder disease and women who are pregnant or nursing should consult their doctors before taking L-lysine because it may make these conditions worse. As with any supplement, people who take L-lysine should read the manufacturer's directions because they contain information about allergies and other important considerations that often vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Effectiveness
Treatments that work well in test tubes don't always work in people and studies on L-lysine in people with herpes have shown mixed results, according to Gaby. Of the two studies that focus specifically on L-lysine and herpes prophylaxis, Gaby says one found that patients who took 1,000 mg of L-lysine per day experienced 12.5 percent fewer recurrences than people who took nothing at all. However, since there were only 65 patients in the study, this finding failed to reach statistical significance. In the second study, Gaby says, the researchers claimed that 26 patients who took L-lysine experienced "significantly fewer lesions" although no numbers were provided and these results also failed to reach statistical significance.
References
- MedlinePlus: Herpes Simplex
- "Chemotherapy"; Relation of Arginine-Lysine Antagonism to Herpes Simplex; Richard. S. Griffith, M.D. et al.; 1981
- "Lancet"; Letter: Lysine Therapy for Herpes Simplex; Christopher Kagan, M.D.; Jan. 26 1974
- "Alternative Medicine Reviews"; Natural Remedies for Herpes Simplex; Alan R. Gaby, M.D. ; December 2005
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