Cold sores, caused by a herpes virus, commonly form on the borders of the lips. These painful, fluid-filled blisters often occur because of stress, sun exposure, menstruation or illness, according the University of Michigan Health System website. While these conditions may trigger cold sores, eating foods that are high in arginine and low in lysine may aggravate these lesions.
Nuts
Nuts like walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, pine nuts, hickory nuts, peanuts and macadamia nuts contain high levels of arginine combined with low lysine levels. The Herpes.com website indicates that 100 g of walnuts contains 466 mg of lysine and 2,520 mg of arginine. Likewise, a 140-mg serving of Brazil nuts has 757 mg of lysine and 3,350 mg arginine. These nuts can aggravate cold sores, making flare-ups of these lesions worse. WorldWideHealth.com reports that if you have a cold sore, you should avoid eating nuts to help the sores heal faster.
Oats
Oats and oat products, such as oatmeal, oat groats and puffed oats, can make cold sores worse because of their high arginine-to-lysine ratio. Herpes.com reveals that 234 mg of oatmeal contains 78 mg of lysine and 147 mg of arginine, and 28.4 mg of puffed rice offers 175 mg of lysine to 320 mg of arginine. According to a June 2009 article at "Health News," physicians often recommend you avoid eating oats when battling cold sores to prevent aggravating them and to encourage them to heal as quickly as possible.
Chocolate
The University of Michigan Health System website indicates chocolate may irritate cold sores because of its high arginine and low lysine content. In addition, chocolate often contains dairy, which the Herpes Clinic website suggests can serve as an allergen, triggering cold sore attacks.
References
- University of Michigan Health System: Cold Sores
- Health News: An Amino Acid Cure for Cold Sores
- Herpes.com: Diet and Nutrition: Adding lysine to your diet can help control herpes
- World Wide Health: Foods To Avoid With Cold Sores and Fever Blisters
- University of Michigan Health System: Arginine
- Herpes Clinic: Herpes Simplex - Cold Sores
