Foods to Eat and Avoid When You Have Shingles

L-arginine, an amino acid that helps the body build protein, may play a role in supporting the replication of viruses such as varicella zoster, which is responsible for a rash known as shingles. Reducing your consumption of arginine-rich foods during a shingles outbreak may help reduce the viral infection’s severity and duration, though evidence of this dietary approach’s success is limited. Consult your healthcare provider to determine the best way to treat and manage shingles.

What Is Shingles?

Shingles is a rash caused by varicella zoster, a type of herpes virus that also causes chicken pox. If you’ve had chicken pox, you’re at risk of getting shingles at some point during your lifetime.

The first sign of shingles is typically tingling or burning along a particular nerve pathway in the body, progressing to a rash consisting of fluid-filled blisters. Shingles is typically treated with antiviral drugs, over-the-counter pain relievers, and corticosteroids. Healthy people who are treated early usually recover in three to five weeks.

Arginine, Lysine, and Herpes Viruses

Dietary sources of protein contain varying amounts of amino acids, two of which are arginine and lysine. The varicella-zoster virus, among other viruses in the herpes family, is able to use the amino acid arginine to reproduce in the nucleus of your cells so that it can successfully infect your body during an outbreak. Meanwhile, the amino acid lysine may exert antiviral effects by blocking the activity of arginine, which helps suppress the virus’s ability to replicate. However, research on this behavior is limited and most often associated with the herpes simplex virus, not the varicella-zoster virus. Regardless, some people choose to eat foods with a high ratio of lysine to arginine at the first sign of a shingles outbreak to attempt to limit its severity and duration.

High-Lysine, Low-Arginine Foods

Dairy tends to be particularly rich in lysine and low in arginine. Some common dairy foods with this profile include yogurt, cheese, and milk. Select reduced-fat varieties when possible. Fish like tuna, salmon, cod, haddock, and herring are good sources of lysine with relatively low amounts of arginine, while chicken and turkey are good poultry options. Beef tends to offer a higher ratio of lysine to arginine as well.

Foods to Avoid When You Have Shingles

Because fruits and vegetables are typically low in protein, most are also low in lysine and arginine. However, grapefruit, oranges, grapes, and blueberries have an unfavorable ratio of lysine to arginine compared with other produce options.

Meanwhile, nuts and seeds are sources of protein that are significantly richer in arginine than lysine. People aiming to increase their lysine intake and reduce their arginine intake may want to temporarily limit their consumption of nuts and seeds, especially peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds.