Lysine

Definition: L- Lysine (hereinafter called lysine) is an essential amino acid that functions as a building block for protein synthesis and serves as a precursor to carnitine.

  • Lysine may be useful for preventing and/or treating recurrent herpes simplex infections and for enhancing growth in some children.
  • While animal foods contain abundant amounts of lysine, a significant amount of the lysine in these foods is destroyed by harsh cooking techniques such as grilling, frying, and high-temperature baking.
  • Some lysine is destroyed by alkali treatment during food processing and substantial amounts of lysine are lost when protein is heated in the presence of reducing sugar (i.e., fructose, lactose, or glucose) or in the presence of sucrose and yeast (yeast fermentation converts sucrose to glucose and fructose).
  • Lysine has been reported to antagonize arginine by several different mechanisms. Since arginine is required for the replication of herpes simplex virus, lysine supplementation has been used to prevent recurrences of herpes simplex infection. However, lysine has also been reported to enhance the efficacy of arginine in stimulating growth hormone release from the pituitary in healthy young males.
  • Iron and calcium: Lysine at a dosage of 1.5–2.0 g/day appeared to enhance the absorption or utilization of supplemental iron (as determined by a significant increase in the serum ferritin level) in iron-deficient women who had failed to show a satisfactory increase in serum ferritin after iron supplementation alone.

Food sources

  • Foods rich in lysine include meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and legumes.
  • While grains are relatively low in lysine, germination or fermentation of grains significantly increases their lysine content.
  • Considerable amounts of lysine are destroyed by certain cooking and processing methods.

Dosage and administration

A dosage of 400–3,000 mg/day of lysine was used in studies of patients with recurrent herpes simplex infections.

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