12-17-2008, 11:53 AM
Phenylketonuria, or PKU, is an autosomal genetic disorder in which children are not able to break down the amino acid phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is normally broken down into tyrosine in the body, but this doesn't happen in children with PKU, as as a result, it just builds up in the body.It occurs in some ethnicity as often as every 1 in 10,000 to 20,000 births, although some ethnicity have a much lower prevalence. Newborns are tested for this disorder because it can cause mental retardation if children are fed normal diets. Starting at birth, people with this genetic disorder must severely limit foods that contain phenylalanine, including meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, and the sweetener aspartame.Good luck!
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