Herpes and the Lysine Myth
You have probably heard it and read it from a huge selection of sources through the years: “Take lysine to stop outbreaks.” Millions of folks living together with the lower and upper symptoms of this disease have added lysine supplements to their herpes breakout fighting arsenal. The once touted gain of lysine is nearer to myth than fact. Inconclusive research studies indicate that the actual positive effects of lysine are slight at best.
Just like the origins of many myths, the Lysine Myth has some basis in truth. To understand its genesis, we should understand the interaction between the amino acids lysine as well as arganine as well as the relation of theirs to the herpes virus.
It’s been well developed the herpes virus is greatly determined by the amino acid arganine for replication. Lysine has demonstrated to have an inhibitive counter-effect on arganine. This led to the notion that an impressive lysine concentration in the bodies of ours would counteract the arganine by which herpes depends and thereby control its ability to multiply.
Conflicting Studies
Initial studies on the lysine arganine hypothesis tended to allow for this idea. Several studies during the early 1980’s reported positive results. Subsequent scientific studies haven’t been conclusive. Some scientists think these conflicting reports happened because the amounts of lysine and arganine supplied effortlessly from the diets of the study participants were not accounted for in the analysis controls. The usual American diet tends to incorporate more lysine rich food from dairy and meat products than arganine rich foods from beans, whole cereals, and nuts. It means that the actual total amount of arganine and lysine in each individual participant in the studies was not recognized. Needless to say, that created serious problems in the studies.
Finding Some Truth
Despite having the inherent trouble plaguing the current scientific studies, most tended showing that high daily doses of lysine supplements (1000mg and greater) get minimal consequence in minimizing the speed of recurrence of outbreaks over extended periods. But, the studies don’t support the concept that lysine greatly cuts down the duration of outbreaks or their severity.