AOR L-Lysine - 150 V-Caps

L-Lysine reduces and works to prevent cold sores

While it is common knowledge that we all need protein to grow and maintain muscles, what is less well known is the variety of vital roles that amino acids, the building blocks of these proteins, play in our bodies.

L-Lysine is one such amino acid. One of the nine essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own, L-Lysine must be obtained by dietary means or else the body will go deficient. For most people, deficiency is rare, as L-Lysine is found in significant amounts in several common foods, such as legumes, dairy, fish and meat. Those most likely to suffer from deficiency are vegetarians who do not consume enough legumes or individuals who consume a diet high in cereals and baked goods, as L-Lysine is involved in caramelization, the process that causes baked goods to turn brown.

During caramelization, L-Lysine becomes linked with sugars in a way that makes it difficult for the body to absorb. This linkage results in the creation of Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), which form at the extremities of the nerve growth tissues and lead to the stiffening of such tissues. AGEs are closely associated with the aging process as well as the more common complications of Type II diabetes.
Like many amino acids, L-Lysine has multiple functions in the body because it is incorporated into many proteins that are used by the body for a variety of purposes. Despite the rarity of deficiency, supplementation has still proven useful to treat herpes and cold sores, augment body-building and growth, as well as maintain carnitine levels, an important factor in energy and aging. Lysine also supports bone health by insuring the adequate absorption of calcium and helping to form collagen that makes up bone cartilage and connective tissues. A deficiency of Lysine has been found to cause tiredness, lack of concentration, irritability, hair loss, anemia and reproductive problems. It has also been reported that too little lysine in a diet can result in kidney stones.

Herpes and Cold Sores

One common use for L-Lysine is the treatment of herpes and cold sores. It is thought that L-Lysine's usefulness in the latter is based on it's ability to impede the utilization of L-arginine by some lipid-coated viruses. These viruses are therefore prevented from using L-arginine during key phases in their life cycle, thus weakening them and allowing the body to heal quicker and reduce the possibility of recurrence. However, the research into the use of L-Lysine to treat herpes is somewhat contradictory and patients themselves sometimes report ambivalent results. Some physicians have reported effective results with L-lysine in the treatment of a particular type of a herpes virus known as varicella -zoster, or shingles. L-lysine is found to be especially effective in this role when combined with a recommendation antiviral medication such as acyclovir (ZoviraxTM) or valcyclovir (ValtrexTM).

Body-Building Nutrient

Along with the other essential amino acids, L-Lysine works to maintain growth, lean body mass, and the body's stores of nitrogen. It is also important in the production of hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. Consequently, it can be an important factor in recovery time following surgery or injury. As a result, lysine has become an increasingly common addition to parenteral formulations as part of post-operative analgesia in hospitals. It is also commonly used as a body-building supplement to assist in the accumulation of lean muscle tissue and to help maintain a positive nitrogen balance.

Bone-Building Nutrient

Since L-Lysine is needed by the body in order for it to properly absorb and conserve calcium, some researchers believe that it may have a role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, or simply to augment the growth and development of strong bones. The reason for this is simple. As calcium is required to grow and maintain bones, it serves to follow that a substance that allows the body to utilize the calcium it absorbs will be necessary to build and maintain bones. L-Lysine also helps to produce collagen, a substance important not only for bones, but also for connective tissues, including the skin, tendons, and cartilage. The end result is that L-Lysine has a directly pertinent role to play in skeletal and tendon health.

Energy and Aging

L-Lysine (along with L-methionine) plays an important role in the production of carnitine, a 'non-essential' amino acid which is responsible for converting fatty acids into energy. Carnitine is needed to bring long-chained fatty acids into the body's mitochondria - its 'cellular power-plants' - and similarly to bring short-chained fatty acids to exit the mitochondria across the mitochrondrial membrane. Carnitine also plays an important part of the aging process, since its ability to carry fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane can revitalize the body's mitochondria itself, thus significantly slowing age-related decline. Furthermore, the aging process progressively diminishes the body's ability to synthesize carnitine, providing additional justification for L-lysine supplementation.

Safety and Side-Effects

Generally, L-Lysine is incredibly safe. Conventional dosages of L-Lysine supplementation (3-6 grams daily) haven't been reported to cause any problems in humans. Many of the treatment dosages for herpes and cold sores are as low as approximately one gram a day in three divided doses. Problems do not seem to appear until intakes reach very high levels (15-40 grams daily) and even these dosages produce only isolated reports of abdominal cramps and transient diarrhea. Doses of that quantity have also been associated with the possibility of increasing the toxicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics such as gentamicin, neomycin and streptomycin.