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Supplement

Lysine

Lysine is an essential amino acid, a protein building block the body can't make itself and needs for tissue growth and repair. People mostly look at it for canker sores, and the evidence there is limited. The one small study of cold sores, in 26 people, found no clear difference in how often they came back, so the evidence is very limited there too.

Sources: PMID 26252373

Best evidence
Grade D
Conditions studied
1
Outcomes
1
Graded outcomes
0001

Evidence by condition

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

1 condition

Cold Sores: outcomes studied for Lysine
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Cold Sore Recurrence Frequency

No effect

NoneNo effect1 study26 people

Studies that measured cold sore recurrence frequency

Key findings

  • Cold Sore Recurrence FrequencyCold Sores

Studies cited

1 study from PubMed

  1. Interventions for prevention of herpes simplex labialis (cold sores on the lips).Cochrane Database Syst Rev · PMID 26252373