Wizard of Vitamins

Lysine Vitamin

What is Lysine?

Lysine is an essential amino acid needed for growth and to help maintain nitrogen balance in the body. (Essential amino acids cannot be made in the body and must be supplied by the diet or supplements.)

Lysine in Diets

Brewer’s yeast, legumes, dairy, fish, and meat all contain significant amounts of lysine.

Lysine Medicinal Treatments

Cold sores (recurrence prevention) Genital Herpes Shingles

Known Consequences of Lysine Deficiency

Most people, including vegans (vegetarians who also avoid dairy and eggs), consume adequate amounts of lysine. However, vegans whose diets contain large amounts of grains and only minimal amounts of beans could become deficient in lysine. Athletes involved in frequent vigorous exercise have increased need for essential amino acids, although most diets meet these increased needs. The essential amino acid requirements of burn patients may exceed the amount of lysine in the diet.

Lysine Recommended Dosages

Most people do not require lysine supplementation. Doctors often suggest that people with recurrent herpes simplex infections take 1,000–3,000 mg of lysine per day.

Lysine Side Effects

In animals, high amounts of lysine have been linked to increased risk of gallstones and elevated cholesterol. At supplemental amounts, no consistent problems have been reported in humans, though abdominal cramps and transient diarrhea have occasionally been reported at very high (15–40 grams per day) intakes. Lysine supplementation increases the absorption of calcium and may reduce its excretion. As a result, some researchers believe that lysine may eventually be shown to have a role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Lysine works with other essential amino acids to maintain growth, lean body mass, and the body’s store of nitrogen. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with lysine.