Sweet Potato Lysine and Arginine Info Sheet
Overview
Sweet potato is a starchy root vegetable that has a sweet taste and a yellow, orange, or purple flesh.It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas.
Sweet potato is a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
It can help improve vision, skin health, and immune function. However, it also contains a lot of natural sugars, which may raise blood glucose levels and increase the risk of diabetes.
| Name | Lysine (mg/100g) | Arginine (mg/100g) | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Potato | 80.77mg | 76.92mg | 1.05 |
Sweet Potato contains 80.77mg of Lysine and 76.92mg of Arginine per 100g of product.
This means Sweet Potato has a neutral Lysine-Arginine ratio of 1.05.
Because Sweet Potato has a neutral ratio of lysine and arginine, it does not have a significant impact on people who suffer from herpes, as it does not affect the viral activity.
Lysine Considerations
Lysine is an essential amino acid that helps build muscle, produce hormones, and support the immune system.
Sweet potato provides about 12% of the recommended daily intake of lysine for an adult.
It is one of the nine amino acids that your body cannot make by itself, so it has to come from the food we eat.
Lysine has multiple functions in the body, such as helping with growth, healing, energy, immunity, and collagen production.
Lysine may also have some effects on the herpes virus, which causes cold sores and genital sores.
Studies have suggested that taking lysine supplements or applying lysine cream may help prevent or treat these infections by blocking the amino acid arginine, which the virus needs to grow.
Arginine Considerations
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that helps produce nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow.
Sweet potato provides about 11% of the recommended daily intake of arginine for an adult.
Arginine can benefit your overall health and performance, such as lowering your blood pressure, healing your wounds, and boosting your exercise endurance.
Arginine can be made by the body or obtained from foods like meat, dairy, nuts, and soy.
Unfortunately, the herpes virus is known to "feed" on arginine, and having a diet higher in arginine than lysine may increase the occurrence and severity of cold sores and herpes outbreaks.
Lysine-Arginine Ratio
The lysine-arginine ratio is a measure of the balance between these two amino acids in a food.
A higher ratio means more lysine than arginine, which may be beneficial for preventing or treating viral infections, such as herpes simplex.
Sweet potato has a lysine-arginine ratio of 1.050, which is slightly higher than the average ratio of 1.0 for most foods.
The herpes simplex virus, which causes oral and genital herpes, needs arginine to multiply and infect cells.
Lysine, on the other hand, can interfere with the absorption of arginine in the intestine, and thus limit the availability of arginine for the virus.
By eating a diet higher in lysine than arginine, one may be able to prevent or treat herpes outbreaks.
Foods that have a high lysine-arginine ratio include dairy products, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables.
These foods can supply the body with sufficient lysine to compete with arginine and inhibit the virus from replicating and causing outbreaks.
Dietary Considerations
Most vegetables are not very high in in calories and high in in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Many vegetables have more lysine than arginine, such as beets, turnips, tomatoes, soybean sprouts, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, squash, and green beans.
These vegetables can help prevent or treat herpes outbreaks, as lysine can suppress the herpes virus.
Other vegetables have more arginine than lysine, such as peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms.
These vegetables can still be consumed in moderation, as they have other health benefits.
For instance:
A diverse and nutritious diet that supports your immune system and fights inflammation is essential.
This means you should eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats, and steer clear of processed foods, added sugars, alcohol, and caffeine, which can harm your health.
L-lysine supplementscan help you prevent herpes outbreaks and stop a cold sore before it develops by depriving the virus of arginine, which it needs to form a cold sore.
Other food supplements, such as vitamin C, zinc, selenium, and antioxidants, can help you boost your immunity and protect your cells from oxidative stress.
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