Lysine is an essential amino acid, which means it is something the body needs but cannot make on its own. The only way to obtain this amino acid is through eating food that contains it, or by supplementation. Lysine is a commonly recommended supplement to treat the symptoms of the herpes I and II viruses.
Definition
Essential amino acids are important building blocks in the body and especially help to make proteins. Lysine itself plays a role in helping with muscle growth and maintenance as well as creating carnitine, a nutrient that helps the body produce energy and lowers cholesterol.
Natural Sources
Lysine can be found in many food sources such as brewers yeast, wheat germ, dairy products, fish and meat as well as legumes such as soybeans, lima beans and kidney beans. With all of the available food sources for lysine, it is easy to obtain the daily recommendation of 10mg per pound of body weight for children. So a 50-lb. child would need to take 500 mg a day. In adults the needs are not as high, so it is approximately half or 5mg per pound of body weight, unless you are supplementing for a specific health need.
Supplement Forms
Commonly, lysine is found in its alternative form L-lysine and can be bought as a capsule, tablet, cream or liquid. It is even found in certain lip balms to help treat cold sores.
Uses
Lysine is typically recommended to help with the symptoms of herpes. The dose should be around 3,000 to 9,000 mg a day in divided doses. To help prevent recurrences of flare-ups 1,000 mg three times a day is supposed to help. Lysine is also essential in the formation of collagen, which helps with healthy skin, muscles and ligaments. Regular supplementation is believed to help with the appearance of younger looking skin. Additionally lysine helps with calcium absorption so less is lost in the urine. The verdict is still out on whether regular supplementation can help with osteoporosis, but this angle is being investigated.
Safety
No toxicity has been reported from too much lysine, but side effects of diarrhea, stomach upset and gallstones have been reported in higher doses, those taking upwards of 15 g a day. Lysine interacts with certain medications, so it is important to discuss supplementation with a doctor first. Additionally, lysine and arginine, another essential acid, use the same pathways in the body and too much of one over the other will cause competition in the body. In other words, the use of arginine will reduce the effects of lysine. A healthy ratio of these two essential acids is four to one, with arginine to lysine.
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