What U Ate
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Lysine is a building block for protein. It’s an essential amino acid because your body cannot make it, so you need to obtain it from food.
It’s important for normal growth and muscle turnover and used to form carnitine, a substance found in most cells of your body. What’s more, it helps transport fats across your cells to be burned for energy.
L-lysine is the form of lysine your body can utilize. It’s naturally found in food and is the type used in supplements.
Here are 4 impressive health benefits of lysine.
1. May Protect Against and Treat Cold Sores by Blocking Arginine
Cold sores or fever blisters are symptoms of an infection, often appearing on the lip or the corners of your mouth.
They appear as fluid-filled blisters that can cause discomforts, such as tingling, pain and burning. Plus, they may make you feel self-conscious about your appearance.
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which can hide in your spine. In times of stress or if your immune system is weakened, HSV-1 can trigger the development of a cold sores.
Lysine supplements may help prevent HSV-1 from replicating and reduce the duration of a cold sore. It’s thought that lysine blocks another amino acid called arginine, which HSV-1 needs in order to multiply.
One study found that a daily supplement of 1,000 mg of lysine resulted in fewer cold sores in 26 people who were prone to recurrent cold sores.
Interestingly, the study observed reduced cold sore breakouts when a person’s blood lysine measure was kept above 165 nmol/l. When blood levels dropped below this level, cold sore breakouts increased.
Another study in 30 people found that applying a cream with lysine, herbs, vitamins and zinc cleared cold sores in 40% of people by day three and in 87% by day six.
Though this study is promising, it did not state the amount of lysine or other ingredients used in the cream.
Furthermore, not all studies show that lysine is effective in reducing cold sore occurrence or duration. One review found insufficient evidence to recommend it for treating cold sores.
Lysine may play a role in reducing anxiety.
One study found that it blocked receptors involved in stress response. Researchers observed that rats given lysine had reduced rates of stress-induced loose bowel movements (6).
A one-week study in 50 healthy people noticed that supplementing with 2.64 grams of lysine and arginine lowered stress-induced anxiety and reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Similarly, adding 4.2 grams of lysine per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of wheat flour in deprived villages in Syria helped reduce anxiety scores in males with very high stress levels.
After three months, consuming the lysine-enriched flour also helped reduce cortisol levels in women.
Lysine may also be able to help people with schizophrenia, a mental disorder that disrupts an individual’s perception of the outside world, often resulting in an inability to understand reality.
Though research is still in its early stages, lysine may have the potential to improve schizophrenia symptoms in combination with prescribed medication.
SUMMARYLysine may help reduce feelings of anxiety and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in some people. Early research indicates that it may even help improve symptoms in people with schizophrenia.
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