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What foods can you eat with phenylketonuria?

What foods can you eat with phenylketonuria?

The diet for PKU consists of a phenylalanine-free medical formula and carefully measured amounts of fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, and cereals. Many people who follow a low phenylalanine (phe) food pattern eat special low protein breads and pastas.

What dietary substance S should be restricted for a child with phenylketonuria PKU )?

Treatment for PKU involves following a strict diet that is low in phenylalanine. Babies with PKU need to be on a special formula as soon as possible. Children and adults with PKU should eat a low-protein diet. They should avoid high-protein foods, like milk, dairy, meats, eggs, nuts, soy, and beans.

Why is diet important in treating PKU?

It’s especially important for young children with PKU to follow the diet carefully because their brains are developing quickly. High levels of phenylalanine in a child’s body can cause seizures and irreversible damage to their brain, resulting in permanent intellectual disability.

How dietary changes can affect the expression of PKU?

A dangerous buildup of phenylalanine can develop when a person with PKU eats protein-rich foods, such as milk, cheese, nuts or meat, and even grains such as bread and pasta, or eats aspartame, an artificial sweetener. This buildup of phenylalanine results in damage to nerve cells in the brain.

Which sugar is not suitable for phenylketonuria patients?

aspartame
At one time, saccharin was thought to increase the risk of bladder cancer in animals. Studies reviewed by the FDA have found no clear evidence of a link between saccharin and cancer in humans. People who have phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid foods and drinks that have aspartame, which contains phenylalanine.

How can PKU be treated in relation to the diet or intake of phenylalanine?

The main way to treat PKU is to eat a special diet that limits foods containing phenylalanine. Infants with PKU may be fed breast milk. They usually also need to consume a special formula known as Lofenalac. When your baby is old enough to eat solid foods, you need to avoid letting them eat foods high in protein.

How can you prevent phenylketonuria?

Prevention

  1. Follow a low-phenylalanine diet. Women with PKU can prevent birth defects by sticking to or returning to a low-phenylalanine diet before becoming pregnant.
  2. Consider genetic counseling.

What is PKU formula?

PKU formula is a special blend of amino acids that provides protein without the amino acid phenylalanine (fen-el-al-a-neen) or PHE (fee). Often, formula also contains carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals to help meet your nutritional needs.

What must a phenylketonuria patient leave out of his or her diet?

People with PKU must also avoid food products that contain aspartame, as it’s converted into phenylalanine in the body. Aspartame is a sweetener found in: sugar substitutes such as the artificial sweeteners often used in tea and coffee. diet versions of fizzy drinks.

What is the role of diet in the treatment of phenylketonuria?

Schulpis KH, Papassotiriou I, Tsakiris S, et al. Increased plasma adiponectin concentrations in poorly controlled patients with phenylketonuria normalize with a strict diet: evidence for catecholamine-mediated adiponectin regulation and a complex effect of phenylketonuria diet on atherogenesis risk factors. Metabolism. 2005;54:1350–1355.

What causes phenylketonuria?

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of amino acid (AA) metabolism caused by deficient activity of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), which is needed to convert the essential AA phenylalanine (phe) to tyrosine [1].

What is a low phenylalanine PKU diet?

Avoiding protein-rich foods is one of the basics of the PKU diet, as these choices are a major source of phenylalanine. Of course, your body still needs protein, so specially formulated medical foods help fill that gap. Following a low phenylalanine PKU diet will not cure the disorder, but it can help keep your symptoms under control.

What foods can I eat on the phenylalanine diet?

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!

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