Lysine may play a key role in preventing and treating osteoporosis. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Dietary L-lysine supplementation: a promising nutritional tool in the prophylaxis and treatment of osteoporosis.
Nutrition. 1993 Jan-Feb;9(1):71-2. PMID: 8467115
It has been known for many years that calcium utilization is greatly reduced by dietary protein of low quality or a deficiency of 1 of the essential amino acids, particularly L-lysine. The addition of lysine to either the diet or drinking water of rats markedly reduces the incidence of dental caries. Further evidence shows L-lysine and L-arginine were potent promoters of mineral absorption, doubling the incorporation of calcium into the bone matrix. Researchers have found that following an oral calcium load, the progressive increase in urinary calcium excretion was suppressed by the addition of L- lysine to the supplement. L-lysine has been shown to enhance fractional intestinal calcium absorption and improve renal conservation of absorbed calcium.