NEW YORK: The new hypothesis suggests that beta-amyloid protein is part of the body’s immune response to pathogens as varied as those that cause cold sores, Lyme disease or HIV. It appears to act as a natural antibiotic, but it can cause damage when the immune response goes haywire.
For more than 40 years, scientists have been reporting an association between herpes virus infection (HSV type 1) and dementia. We don’t know whether treating cold sores with L-lysine or antiviral drugs (acyclovir, famciclovir, valacyclovir) would help reduce the risk.
There has been very little research on the effectiveness of L-lysine against HSV-1 infections. Many visitors to our website do report that this amino acid can help prevent cold-sore outbreaks.