Weight Loss, Low Carb, Hair Growth, Fatigue, and L-Lysine

Posted on January 21, 2015

So I've been doing some researching lately as to some problems I've been having. I'm 41 yrs old and within the last 3 or 4 yrs have developed Rosacea. In addition, my hair has not grown fast in a long time but in the last 2 years it will not grow much past my shoulders. It just stops. I get my hair cut just 2 times a year and it will regrow the inch or half inch I have cut but not any more. In addition I have lots of hair that comes out when showering or brushing. It's like I am a shedding dog. I still have lots of hair but I lose a lot all the time too. Plus I am tired a lot. Despite exercise I still seem to drag no matter what. And obviously I struggle with weight loss although 4 yrs ago I was about 210 lbs and lost down to 140lbs ... I then regained 25 lbs over the last 2 years which is why I started Diet Bet.

I thought for sure I had a thyroid problem or I was anemic. So I went to www.walkinlab.com where I scheduled to have my thyroid tested THOROUGHLY (and they are running a special till the end of January if anyone is interested in testing themselves) and I tested for anemia making sure they tested for the ferritin level. The test results came back in 2 days and everything was in normal range although my T3 uptake is a 25 and the low end of the range is 24. My iron saturation 43% (range is 15 to 55) and Hemogobin is right in the middle of the range so I'm not anemic.

My ferritin level is within range at 48 (range is 15 to 150) but after researching this I found out that ferritin needs to be at 70 or above for hair growth and below 40 it will be falling out a lot. I have no idea why they have a range from 15 - 150 ... seems like it should be 70 - 150. So this explains why I can't grow my hair longer and why I am shedding hair easily. Ferritin is your iron stores but I have good iron levels so my dietary intake is good but I am not storing enough. The solution to bring up ferritin is to take an iron supplement.

However I discovered that even after taking an iron supplement many women complained that they couldn't get their ferritin level to raise. So today I was looking into it some more and came across a study that said taking iron alone often doesn't help increase ferritin. Evidently many women cannot increase ferritin unless they also supplement with L-Lysine. http://www.nutrihair.co.uk/understanding_hair_growth.htm

So I looked up L-Lysine to see what all it does, where you get it, and what the symptoms of deficiency are. Good food sources of L-lysine are red meat, eggs, fish, milk, cheese and yeast ... all of which I eat very little of. The meat I've been eating had as much L-arginine as L-Lysine and it seems they counteract each other. I've gotten to where I eat quick meals so I go for an Atkins bar for breakfast rather then eggs and bacon. I'll eat an Atkins pizza for lunch or dinner. You get the idea. I decided to eat nuts for a snack rather than cheese so I rarely eat cheese anymore except on a salad.

L-lysine Benefits

L-lysine is an important and indispensable component of proteins. As previously mentioned, it plays a role in the production of carnitine and collagen. Its benefits include:

Promotes normal growth and development by increasing collagen formation
Supports the production of other proteins like enzymes, antibodies and hormones
Promotes bone health by increasing calcium absorption; prevents osteoporosis or weak bones by reducing bone loss
Helps convert fatty acids to energy, aiding in weight reduction
Helps lower bad cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk for heart disease
Promotes skin health through increased collagen formation
May be used to treat viral infections like herpes simplex, cold sores, shingles,human papilloma virus (HPV) infection such as genital warts, and genital herpes
Can relieve migraines and other types of pain and inflammation
When taken with other nutrients like vitamin C, it can reduce chest pains (angina) related to heart disease
Helps in muscle building, when taken with other amino acids like arginine

L-lysine Deficiency

What happens when one's diet is deficient in lysine? Some health problems have been found to be related to L-lysine deficiency such as kidney stone formation, low thyroid hormone production, asthma, chronic viral infections, and abnormal growth and development.

Symptoms related to a deficiency in this amino acid include nausea, fatigue, dizziness, anemia, loss of appetite, and hair loss/low hair growth. Some disorders of the reproductive system have also been linked to a lack of l-lysine in the diet.

I'm pretty sure I have an L-Lysine deficiency because of the lack of hair growth and the low ferritin level despite a good iron saturation and no anemia. I looked to see if an L-Lysine deficiency is also related to Rosacea and it is http://rosacearesearch.org/rosacea-and-deficiency-in-amino-acids-explained/ . Fatigue is also a symptom and L-Lysine helps convert fatty acids to energy, aiding in weight reduction.

I bought some L-Lysine supplements today and I'm hoping it helps solve a lot of my problems. I'm posting this in case any of you have similar symptoms or issues. You might want to check into the thyroid, anemia, and ferritin levels. I could have paid an endocrinologist to do it and I had scheduled an appointment but I figured it would be better to see the doctor with the blood results already in hand first and was disappointed to not find any smoking gun except the ferritin level with respect to hair growth. But looking into how to solve that may help in many other ways. I'll post an update in a couple of weeks regarding whether I think L-Lysine has helped my weight loss, my fatigue, my Rosacea, and my hair loss/growth.

Comment Now!

Lona B.

07/25/2020 12:09PM

I started taking L-lysine years ago as a viral preventative. And again lately to aide in a healthy immune system during the Covid-19 pandemic. About 4 weeks ago my throat started hurting. In fear of it being the COVID-19 I tripled my L-Lysine doses. I take about a half teaspoon of pure L-lysine powder at each dose. I never got anymore symptoms. But when I slow down on the L-lysine the throat pain comes back. I am trying to get an appointment with an endocrinologist. Covid-19 makes everything harder. I am thinking it's not my throat but my thyroid glan. And I find it amazing that the L-lysine gives relief just like a pain pill. I am wondering if the L-lysine is helping balance my thyroid though obviously not curing it.

Debra F.

04/19/2018 10:18AM

My Chiropractor was telling me about Lysine, said it might help with my hair loss, bones, tendons, collagen, etc. I bought some and I took it off and on and wasn't taking it regularly until a few months ago. I started taking it every night. OMG, once it was in my system good and I continue to take it, the benefits are huge. Improvements are astounding. My skin is way better, cleared up acne, I have more energy. I was having stomach cramps too. I haven't had any. I read that Lysine helps keeps the gut clean. Every time I notice a big improvement in my body, I look up Lysine and see if it is the reason. And it is. So many awesome benefits. My hair was falling out so bad, found it in my dryer on my towels and floors, tubs, globs of it, more than I ever had before. NOW, after a few months of Lysine, I can see and feel the growth and I haven't seen any more globs that was showing up in my dryer on my white towels and floors, etc. Only a few strands once in a while. I'm amazed at this product. The fact that I'm 52 and my face looks better than it has in 10 or 12 years is mind blowing....not to mention I feel much better. Only thing I have taken, so I know it's the Lysine. No doubt about it. I never believe anything until I see it happen. And I see it happening. I don't care what some skeptics say or the fact it's benefits are not documented through actual research through FDA or whatever. I see the and feel the results and they are incredible. I have read hundreds of comment

carrie r.

04/18/2018 9:43AM

I feel this article perfectly describes my situation too. Can u tell me if taking the l- lysine has helped since this was written?

Leigh H.

11/29/2016 9:02AM

I'm not trying to lose weight, but I do find that taking l-lysine helps with skin inflammation, this is fantastic.

Steph

01/21/2015 9:41PM

Hi Cherie,This was a perfect post for me! This summer I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, had a thyroidectomy, and was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Needless to say I have also had lots of fatigue and hair loss. And I have nausea almost every day. The last two times I had my ferritin checked my levels were 17 and 19. I'd read the same numbers that you posted - needs to be at a 40 for hair to stop falling out and 70 for it to start growing again. Because I have thyroid disease mine is supposed to be at least 90. I REALLY don't like red meat, but since I got the 19 number three weeks ago I've been making a giant effort to eat more foods with iron (and eat vitamin c along with the iron for absorption). I'll definitely get my L-Lysine checked next time I do blood work and I'll look into the supplements. Thanks so much for taking the time to write this!! I'd love to hear an update about what you experienced taking the supplement.Thanks!Steph

View 7 more comments

Cherie A.

Steph have you seen any improvements? I am not losing hair and my energy is great now. Waiting for hair to start growing. L-lysine has definitely helped me.

Mildred S.

Hi I'm new here but I can honestly say when I was taking Llysine my hair was long and skin was beautiful. And my weight was down when I stopped my hair shedded and my face start breaking out like a teenager with bad acne ????????. I'm starting back today I will keep you ladies posted.