Many apparently healthy soft drinks and beverages contain phenylalanine among their compounds. Even though it may not be a dangerous substance for everyone, why does it stand out among the ingredients? Is it similar to gluten or lactose?
Reviewing the nutritional labeling and the list of ingredients is important in all cases. Not only those who suffer from an intolerance or allergy can benefit from knowing the compounds of a soft drink. It is striking to read the ingredients of drinks with zero added sugar, since they usually contain sweeteners and little-known substances. As with the quinine in the Tonic, what will this component be?
Why is phenylalanine added?
Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid found in both plant and animal foods. Although it is generally considered safe for healthy people, it is important for people with PKU to keep their intake low to avoid potentially dangerous side effects.
The artificial sweetener aspartame , which is added to many sports supplement foods and light or zero-sugar soft drinks, contains phenylalanine. Labeling regulations require that any beverage or food containing aspartame bear this warning: “contains a source of phenylalanine.” This warning helps people who need it to avoid products that are a source of phenylalanine. So this substance is present indirectly by the contribution of sweeteners as substitutes for sugar. It is not that it is added in isolation, but that it is introduced indirectly into aspartame.
If we don’t have this disease, we probably don’t need to worry about the harmful health effects of phenylalanine, with a few important exceptions. Aspartame in large doses can cause a rapid increase in brain levels of phenylalanine.
Dangerous for people with phenylketonuria
People with phenylketonuria, a rare genetic disorder, cannot metabolize phenylalanine. Therefore, they must control the intake of all foods and drinks that contain this amino acid. Some of the light and sugar-free, calorie-free beverages such as Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero or Aquarius are sweetened with aspartame, which contains a source of phenylalanine. This is the reason why many products mention their content on the label.
Phenylalanine can cause intellectual disability, brain damage, seizures, and other problems in people with PKU. These people must be careful with their diet, since this amino acid is naturally present in many high-protein foods, such as milk, eggs and meat.
Apart from all the possible effects already mentioned, excessive consumption of products containing phenylalanine (mainly sugar-free gum and candies) can produce a laxative effect. People with epilepsy should also avoid this component especially, as it causes seizures. However, the reason you don’t have any evidence for this is because they don’t accept any of the evidence. Also, other people who should avoid aspartame are all of us. Phenylalanine is unstable at high temperatures . Cans containing aspartame explode if they get too hot.
