Effect of lysine supplementation on cardiovascular response to stressors of households in two peri-urban communities in Ghana

Introduction: Lysine affects the level of stress/anxiety, increases resistance to diseases, and prevents protein deficiency disorders. It is the most limiting amino acid that affects protein quality. The main aim was to study the effect of lysine supplementation on stressor of adults in two peri-urban communities in Ghana. Materials and Methods: It was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 90 men and 90 women. At the baseline and after intervention, the subjects' blood pressures (BPs) were measured before and after subjecting them to stressor in the form of blood draw. Halves of the men and women were assigned to lysine and the other assigned to placebo as a control. After taken the initial measurements 1,000 g lysine tablets were daily given to the subjects for 112 days to supplement their dietary lysine intake. Results: No significant variation was observed among the subjects at baseline. However, after the supplementation, there were significant drops in the delta of systolic BP by the margin of 7.26 ± 11.64 mmHg in men and 8.50 ± 14.96 mmHg in women. The mean arterial blood pressure also dropped by 1.09 ± 8.22 mmHg in men; but not in women while the delta in the control remains fairly unchanged in both men and women in the control groups. Conclusion: There were positive effects of lysine supplementation on the outcomes of cardiovascular response to stressors by normalizing and reducing the stress of subjects.