If you’re here, then you probably Google’d: vitamin good for cold sores. This subject along with many others are quite common. We will do our best to answer this and many other similar questions in this article which should ease your mind regarding this subject.
How It Works
This amino acid converts into nitric oxide within your body, a chemical necessary to expand blood vessels and improve blood flow. For example, a small study from 2005 showed that lysine sped up the healing process for 87 percent of participants, shortening the average time from 21 days to 6 days for these people. To treat a cold sore infection, apply lysine cream to the affected area every two hours for 11 days.
To manage cold sore infections, the recommended dosage for oral supplements is 1 gram three times daily. To help prevent them, the dosage is 1 gram daily. It’s also recommended that you take a zinc and vitamin C supplement to provide your immune system with an additional boost.
When incorporating lysine into your diet, eat foods in moderation to avoid weight gain or developing a health condition.
Does Lysine Help Treat Cold Sores?
Lysine helps prevent the body from absorbing arginine, making it difficult for HSV-1 to grow and reproduce. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than 50 percent of people aged 14 to 49 carry the virus.
Sources Of Lysine
The human body does not naturally produce lysine, so a person needs to get it from their diet or take a supplement. Foods containing lysine include: pork
turkey
chicken
beef
eggs
yogurt
Parmesan cheese
soybeans
spirulina
sardines
codfish People can also use an ointment containing lysine to help treat cold sores. People can apply the ointment directly to the sore according to the instructions on the packaging until the infection clears.
Risks Most doctors agree that lysine is safe to use either as a cream or oral supplement. Other treatments For people with healthy immune systems, cold sores typically clear up within 2 weeks. Some people also use them to help prevent future outbreaks of cold sores.
A person is contagious even when undergoing treatment and remains contagious until all the blisters have scabbed over. People with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to infection. Lysine supplements can also help prevent future cold sores from developing.
A person should speak to a doctor or pharmacist about dosage and use.
What Is A Cold Sore?
If You’Re Plagued By Cold Sores, You May Have Tried Numerous Treatments, But Have You Heard About L-Lysine?
It doesn’t have to be sexual contact either – a goodbye kiss on the cheek from Aunt Ethel will do it. Outbreaks can be triggered by sunlight, fatigue, injury to the face or even hormonal changes during your period which can ‘wake up’ the virus. If the blisters burst, this exposes the raw skin underneath which then scabs over.
Many people never show symptoms, while others can experience a single outbreak. But an unlucky few will experience recurrent cold sores. L-lysine is an essential amino acid, a building-block of protein that can’t be produced by the body but is essential for good health.
It also helps the body absorb calcium, produce collagen and build muscle. Cold sores can last for up to 21 days, but another study published in
Alternative Medicine Review
found a cream containing l-lysine cleared them up in 40% of those tested within three days, and 87% within six days. Rubbing a cream or ointment containing l-lysine directly onto your lip may help too.
Please consult a doctor or healthcare professional before trying any remedies. Shop our Vitamins & Supplements range.