Supplementation with L-lysine has been shown to reduce anxiety in humans. This is interesting as L-lysine does not directly become converted to neurotransmitters, which is the case for some other amino acids such as L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine. Therefore the anti-anxiety effects of L-lysine must be via some other route. Administration of L-lysine with L-arginine has been shown to reduce stress in farm animals, and one suggestion that has come from this research is that L-lysine may act as a partial agonist to the serotonin a receptors and a partial agonist to the benzodiazepine receptor (also called the GABA receptor). In humans, administration of 2.64 grams of L-lysine and 2.64 grams per day of L-arginine is significantly effective at reducing trait anxiety as well as basal levels of stress hormones. In particular the supplements reduced basal levels of cortisol and markers of activated sympathetic nervous system activity. L-lysine and L-arginine therefore appear to have anxiolytic effects in humans and may be useful as part of a healthy diet in order to reduce mood disorders.
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