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5 Reasons You Need L-Lysine
Posted on by Paula Gallagher
A healthy, balanced immune system is one that is able to quickly and effectively fight off infection and at the same time not overreact to irritations such as allergens, or even your own body. Having the necessary nutrient reserves and avoiding foods and chemicals that suppress the immune system will support continued good health. Factors such as chronic stress, repeated use of antibiotics, environmental pollutants, and poor dietary and lifestyle habits greatly damage the immune system. As a result, healing capacity and the ability to defend against infection becomes weaker.
Incorporating key nutrition elements will help to strengthen the body's defenses. One of those is L-lysine. Lysine is an essential amino acid that cannot be produced by the body. It helps strengthen the immune system by adjusting body chemistry so it is less hospitable to foreign organisms and supports the body's acid/alkaline balance.
One of lysine's most common applications is related to the herpes virus, the cause of cold sores. Herpes viruses are dependent on the amino acid arginine for replication. Lysine counter-balances arginine (found in nuts, seeds and meats), making it harder for herpes and other viruses to replicate. Lysine has been shown to prevent outbreaks and reduce the duration and severity of individual herpes outbreaks and other viral infections.
Lysine doesn’t just help prevent cold sores. It impacts overall health through its roles in forming collagen, hormones, immune cells and more. Lysine is one of the nine essential amino acids that your body needs to make protein – and you can only get it through your diet or supplements.
5 Reasons Your Body Needs L-Lysine
1. Helps Collagen Production
Lysine is one of the secrets to maximizing your body’s production of collagen, a protein that makes up and helps repair tissues in the skin, bones, cartilage and joints. Considered by some to be the most important essential amino acid, lysine is critical to building the cross-linked network of collagen that stabilizes and gives structure to healthy body tissues.
2. Supports Strong Bones
We often think of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D to help build and maintain strong bones, but lysine is also a factor in bone health. You use lysine to absorb calcium into the bloodstream efficiently, for your kidneys to keep up the positive calcium balance that promotes bone mineralization, and for linking the collagen fragments that form bone scaffolds. One study found that a higher lysine intake, along with four other amino acids, lowered the incidence of osteoporosis or osteopenia in women by up to 19%.
3. Supports Heart Health
Keeping your lysine intake up may prevent the dangerous build-up of plaque in your arteries. Lysine has been shown to block bad cholesterol molecules from sticking to artery walls. One study showed that men and women who were deficient in lysine and then took 1 gram of lysine per day were found to lower their systolic blood pressure levels by 4 to 5%. The body also relies on lysine to make L-carnitine, a nutrient that helps fuel energy production in cardiac muscle.
4. Supports the Immune System
As an essential amino acid, lysine is a key nutrient for immune support.The body needs amino acids to make and activate immune system cells, such as T-cells and cytokines. Researchers have also found evidence that lysine can inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the strain of coronavirus that leads to COVID-19) from causing infection.
5. Supports Carnitine Production
As a key nutrient needed for the body to make carnitine, lysine has an indirect role in keeping the body’s energy production up. This is because carnitine, an amino acid derivative concentrated mostly in the muscles and heart cells, is responsible for feeding the cells with fatty acids that are burned to make energy. On average, adults rely on lysine to meet about 25% of their carnitine needs.
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