During his 2/27/21 interview, Bill Sardi, told us about studies showing that a common natural amino acid, l-lysine, has the power to protect against and even resolve many viruses including covid-19! Mr. Sardi wrote a very useful article on the topic (it links to studies). The article also discusses worrisome new covid-19 variants. This blog today reviews information from his interview plus a little extra. (Note that the following week Sherry Rogers, MD said that other amino acids may also have this effect and that the Dominican Republic may have had such good results with lysine and covid because their health is different to begin with.)

The general idea. Amino acids are building blocks of protein. The amino l-arginine in the diet prompts some viruses to multiply and grow strong.  However, if there is less of that available but more of another amino acid, l-lysine, the viruses weaken and fade away. Apparently, lysine gets taken up by the virus instead of arginine, but it doesn’t work for the virus. L-lysine has been successfully used since the 1970’s to fight many viral conditions—especially the herpes type viruses that cause fever blisters, canker sores, chicken pox and shingles. In 2016,lysine even worked in a lab study against a coronavirus! In 2020, a grass roots movement started in the Dominican Republic to use lysine against another coronavirus—covid-19! A 14-minute video interview describes how this happened and surprisingly how lysine was gradually accepted by mainstream medicine and even health regulators. (I cannot imagine that this could ever happen in the US.) Watch a video of that story with details of best usage (14 min) The Mt. Sinai Health System website has a useful page on lysine.

Safety. L-lysine is prevalent in foods and has been widely used around the world as a supplement. Lysine is valued for other benefits including relief of anxiety, promoting of wound healing and (along with vitamin C), preventing buildup of plaque in arteries.

Food sources – the body can make arginine, but we must either eat or supplement lysine. Foods that are a good source of lysine include meat, poultry and fish, cheese, eggs, avocado and papaya. To avoid reducing the benefit of lysine when you are ill, eat less of lysine’s opposite, l-arginine. Foods high in arginine are nuts, seeds, chocolate, turkey, soybeans and peanuts. (People prone to fever blisters often get them around holidays where they eat nuts and chocolate.)

Lysine Supplement Usage Guidelines. Supplements of 500 mg. a day are suggested for prevention. It is probably better to avoid taking it at bedtime because it gives some people energy and may interfere with sleep. Coffee is not recommended during covid-19 or while using lysine. Higher doses, e.g. 1,500 mg a day and up are useful if fighting a coronavirus or herpes infection. The suggested upper limit for supplementation is 3,000 mg. per day. Check with physician if you have kidney or liver disease. Persons who have had covid-19 symptoms for over month and a half should go slowly, starting with ½ doses.

Supplements. Most lysine supplements are made with raw material from the same ultimate source and there is nothing complicated about absorption. So, this is one case where the brand isn’t critical. “Now” brand is usually readily available and reasonably priced. Strictly for the convenience of customers who purchase Molecular Multi, Nerve Guardian or Zinc Lozenges from his Lifespan Nutrition company, Bill Sardi added two common brands of lysine. He is offering them at a special price…but he will also be happy if our listeners find bargains elsewhere. He just wants them to have the safeguard of lysine.