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Phenylalanine Explained
By WLR Dietitian
Q: I’ve noticed the warning ‘Contains a source of
phenylalanine’ on many low-calorie drinks and yoghurts. I’ve
heard this chemical can be dangerous. Is it better to consume
drinks with sugar rather than those with these substitutes?
A: Phenylalanine is something of a mystery to most people and
many of us think it could be a health risk because, as you say, it’s
frequently labelled on low-calorie products. However, rather
than being a dangerous chemical, phenylalanine is actually an
essential amino acid (a building block for protein), which can’t
be made by the body and needs to be supplied in the diet. This
amino acid is actually found in many foods including meat, fish,
milk, eggs and cheese with the result that most of us have large
amounts in our daily diet.
However, phenylalanine is also one of the main ingredients in
the artificial sweetener, aspartame. Also given the
more-friendly name Nutrasweet, Canderel is one of the most
popular aspartame-based sweeteners in the UK.
In the past, there have been many health scares about the
risk of
aspartame. However, more than 200 objective scientific studies
have shown aspartame to be completely safe. As a result, it’s
safety has been confirmed by the regulatory authorities in more
than 100 countries including the European Commission’s
Scientific Committee for Food, America’s Food and Drug
Administration and by experts within the United Nation’s Food
and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation.
Hearing all this, you might then wonder why products
containing aspartame are labelled as containing phenylalanine!
It’s basically because people born with a rare genetic disorder
called phenylketonuria are unable to properly metabolise
phenylalanine and so have to limit intakes of all foods that
contain this amino acid, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs and
products containing artificial sweeteners. In America, the warning on labels
is slightly clearer and says: ‘Phenylketonurics: contains
phenylalanine”. It’s also worth pointing out that children or
adults can’t suddenly develop phenylketonuria – it’s a condition
you’re born with – so there’s no reason to concern yourself with
whether or not a food contains this amino acid.
In answer to your question about finding substitutes to foods
that contain aspartame as a sweetener, the choice really is
yours. There’s certainly no health risk attached to consuming
them, but some people find low-calorie or sugar-free products
less satisfying than the real thing. If this is the case for
you, you might prefer to choose naturally sweet foods or have
smaller amounts of the real thing. Bear in mind, for example,
that one level teaspoon of sugar contains just 17 calories so if
you only have one coffee a day with sugar, it’s hardly going to
ruin your diet. However, it’s also worth remembering that eating
foods containing artificial sweeteners will do little to curb a
sweet tooth in the long run, so rather than relying on them
heavily, it might be better to try and gradually wean yourself
off them slowly.
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