“Protein Substitutes for children and adults diagnosed with Phenylketonuria” (Intro): Phenylketonuria, which is commonly known as PKU, is usually caused from an inherited gene, passed down from both parents, that increases the levels of phenylalanine in the bloodstream. Phenylalanine is the building block of proteins that is obtained through the diet. Phenylalanine is found in all protein food sources and even some artificial sweeteners. This disorder is very important because if it is not treated, it could lead up to intellectual disability and other serious health problems. Nutritional supervision is very important when dealing with PKU because of the need to improve patient’s growth, development, and diet obedience. Since phenylalanine is increased in the bloodstream because of PKU, people with this condition have to consume a low protein diet to keep blood levels steady. Patients with PKU have trouble with consuming protein substitutes to keep blood levels steady; therefore, we will examine the possibilities for new protein substitutes for patients with PKU. (Lit review): The most common source of a protein substitute for patients with PKU is a liquid protein drink. Most protein drinks have a very low compliance because of …show more content…
PKU is sometimes dangerous for newborns because they show no symptoms for the first month-or-so of life. However, in children and adults, PKU can cause serious neurological problems such as seizures and tremors, behavioral, emotional and social problems and significant health and developmental problems if this goes untreated or if patients aren’t getting the correct amount of nutritional supplement. Exploring more tolerable protein substitutes is needed because of the increased acceptability in the tablet form. These studies support future research because of the high rates of acceptance in better forms of protein