Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine

Several years ago, when my daughter wasn’t quite a year and a half, I was in the process of learning all I could about why she had been having severe seizures since the age of ten months old. By the time she was fifteen months, still no one had any definitive answers, but she had a possible diagnosis of “tuberousclerosis” (TS). The reason for this diagnosis was due to her seizures along with white blemishes on her extremities, particularly her left leg.

Because of her diagnosis, I joined a small group of local parents whose children were all diagnosed with TS. We were in the process of organizing a yard sale to earn funds for the study and treatment of the disorder. I opened my home for a meeting and made some snacks and lemonade, being the gracious hostess I am (you can laugh here). When I put the lemonade out, the other parents seemed to panic and asked what was in it. I thought this was very odd, but I carefully said, “Lemons, water, and sugar”. They all breathed a sigh of relief and poured the lemonade for themselves and their children.

I looked over at my husband like they were all insane, so I asked them what else could have been in it? They said, “NutraSweet”. They then went on to tell me that the chemical in NutraSweet can cause severe seizures, migraine headaches, joint stiffness, cancer, and even death. I froze! Each time I gave my daughter her medication, I would mix it in yogurt. She was having anywhere from twenty to one hundred seizures each day. I grabbed a container of yogurt from the refrigerator and read theword for word. There was nothing on it other than the usual ingredients, except for two small rectangular boxes with writing in each one. They both looked very similar, but one read “cultures” while the other read, “Phenylketonurics: contains Phenylalanine”. Not only could I not pronounce it, I had no idea what it meant. The other parents said in means it contains NutraSweet (aspartame). I had been counter-acting my daughter’s medication with a substance that caused her to have multiple seizures!

My daughter has since been re-diagnosed about four more times, but regardless of thethey put on her symptoms and test outcomes, aspartame causes her to have severe bouts of seizures. I knew I had some interesting, and I must admit, fun work cut out for me. I decided to research this “NutraSweet”, an “aspartame”, and “phenylalanine”.

This is what I have learned, and I feel it is very important for others to be aware of the hazards associated with this chemical. It all began with a pharmacist who was working with some medication. H was cutting and grinding some pills when the dust from the process floated into the air. The pharmacist was not wearing a breathing mask so some of the dust settled on his mouth. When he tasted it, it was sweet and very similar to that of sugar. He knew he may have just discovered a low calorie sugar substitute. After some experiments, NutraSweet was born. This new sweetener, tasting more like sugar than saccharine, quickly passed FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval, clearly without an appropriate amount of time or testing, and went on the market. Diet sodas were the first to come out with the new sugar-free substance before it was added to almost everything edible with thereading “sugar-free” and the warning printed in very small letters, “Phenylketonurics: contains Phenylalanine. Even children’s toothpaste and vitamins contain this sweetener.

So what are Phenylketonurics? And what is Phenylalanine? Phenylketonurics, also known as PKU, are people born with a rare genetic disorder. When a child is first born, there is a blood test done by a quick prick to the heel of the foot. This is to test the child for PKU. Only one in 15,000 infants may test positive. When it is positive, a second test is performed and usually no more than one in 500 of the second run of tests will be positive. The only way a child can have PKU is if both parents are carriers of the gene.

People with PKU suffer from an enzyme deficiency. This enzyme is what is used in people without PKU to metabolize a specific amino acid called phenylalanine, thus the chemical in aspartame (NutraSweet).

Phenylalanine is the base of aspartame which is the sugar substitute called NutraSweet. Although it is dangerous for phenylketonurics to ingest phenylalanine, it can also be dangerous for those without PKU. My daughter, for example, is not a phenyldetonuric, yet the ingestion of phenylalanine will cause her to have severe seizures. The chemical, when ingested on a regular basis has been known to cause migraine headaches, cancer, ADHD, ADD, and miscarriages. However, phenylalanine is an amino acid that has been produced by man in its most toxic form. In its natural form it can be found in almost all meats, dairy, eggs, nuts, beans, and other foods high in protein.

So the next time you reach for that diet soda, listen to what your body is telling you. You may have symptoms caused by large quantities of phenylalanine. Take care of yourself, your children, and your unborn babies. Too many toxins of any type in your system can cause medical problems that even your doctor cannot diagnose.

Reference:

• www.sweetpoison.com