Genital Herpes
The right diet is the key to managing many diseases and to improving general quality of life. For this condition, scientific research has found benefit in the following healthy eating tips.
High-Lysine, Low-Arginine
A diet high in lysine—found in red meat, poultry, fish, and dairy—and low in arginine—found in nuts, peas, cereals, and chocolate—may help prevent or manage outbreaks.High-Lysine, Low-ArginineMany alternative healthcare practitioners recommend that people with herpes simplex infections eat a diet high in the amino acid lysine and low in arginine. Foods high in lysine include red meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products, while foods such as chocolate, nuts, peas, and cereals are high in arginine. This recommendation is based on test tube research indicating that growth of the herpes virus is inhibited by lysine and promoted by arginine.27However, no research has investigated whether making these dietary changes helps prevent outbreaks of genital herpes. In fact, one preliminary study found that patients with and without genital herpes did not differ from each other in how much dietary arginine and lysine they consumed.28