Phenylalanine occurs naturally in many protein-rich foods, such as milk, eggs and meat . Phenylalanine is also sold as a dietary supplement.
What food is high in phenylalanine?
Phenylalanine is found in most protein-containing foods such as milk, eggs, cheese, nuts, soybeans, chicken, beef, pork, beans and fish .
What is the purpose of phenylalanine?
In addition to its role in protein production , phenylalanine is used to make other important molecules in your body, several of which send signals between different parts of your body ( 6 ). Phenylalanine has been studied as a treatment for several medical conditions, including skin disorders, depression and pain (3).
What causes phenylalanine?
Good sources of phenylalanine are eggs, chicken, liver, beef, milk, and soybeans . Another common source of phenylalanine is anything sweetened with the artificial sweetener aspartame, such as diet drinks, diet foods and medication; the metabolism of aspartame produces phenylalanine as one of the compound’s metabolites.
Is there phenylalanine in Coke?
Diet Coke, of course, is not exactly considered to be a protein-rich food. However, it does contain aspartame, which is an artificial sweeter composed of two amino acids: aspartic acid and phenylalanine . It thus poses as a severe health concern to phenylketonurics, or individuals afflicted with phenylketonuria.
Why phenylalanine is bad for you?
Phenylalanine can cause intellectual disabilities, brain damage, seizures and other problems in people with PKU . Phenylalanine occurs naturally in many protein-rich foods, such as milk, eggs and meat. Phenylalanine is also sold as a dietary supplement.
Does phenylalanine raise blood pressure?
Phenylalanine can increase a chemical in the body called tyramine. Large amounts of tyramine can cause high blood pressure .
Does coffee have phenylalanine?
Quitting Caffeine
Caffeine causes the brain to produce dopamine. Chronic caffeine use can deplete the brain’s stores of tyrosine and phenylalanine , two amino acids which act as building blocks for dopamine and adrenaline.
Is phenylalanine a laxative?
Quite apart from all of the possible effects already mentioned, consuming too much of products containing phenylalanine (notably sugar-free gum and sweets) can produce a laxative effect ...
What foods do not contain phenylalanine?
Foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts and pulses are excluded as they contain high levels of phenylalanine. Vegetables and fruit are allowed in measured amounts only! Special low protein bread, pasta, biscuits and flour are used to supplement the diet and ensure adequate calorie intake.
Is phenylalanine the same as aspartame?
Aspartame is sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal. ... The ingredients of aspartame are aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Both are naturally occurring amino acids. Aspartic acid is produced by your body, and phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that you get from food.
Is phenylalanine a sweetener?
Phenylalanine is not a sweetener (it’s actually an amino acid), but it’s found in the artificial sweetener aspartame, aka Equal and Nutrasweet. For most people, phenylalanine is perfectly harmless—in fact, it’s an essential nutrient.
Is phenylalanine a neurotoxin?
Since phenylalanine can be neurotoxic and can affect the synthesis of inhibitory monoamine neurotransmitters, the phenylalanine in aspartame could conceiveably mediate neurologic effects. ... Aspartame also potentiates the induction of seizures by inhaled fluorothyl or by electroconvulsive shock.
Is phenylalanine bad for your kidneys?
Aspartame never reaches the kidneys or other body organ . It is made up of two amino acids (the building blocks of protein), phenylalanine and aspartic acid, and a small amount of methanol.
Is phenylalanine bad for your liver?
Phenylalanine is thought to mediate or exacerbate hepatic encephalopathy, and an impaired liver may not be able to cope with the ammoniagenic properties of the amino acid constituents, or adequately metabolize methanol.
Why is phenylalanine toxic to the brain?
The high plasma phenylalanine concentrations increase phenylalanine entry into brain and restrict the entry of other large neutral amino acids. In the literature, emphasis has been on high brain phenylalanine as the pathological substrate that causes mental retardation .
