Consumption of phenylalanine during pregnancy is harmful to the baby and can cause irreversible damage to the central nervous system, which can only occur in women born with phenylketonuria.
In women who have developed maternal phenylketonuria, tests should also be performed to evaluate the concentration of phenylalanine in the bloodstream each week during pregnancy, until it reaches 12 weeks at ideal values, then it can.every two weeks.
- Phenylalanine consumption during pregnancy should vary between 10 and 30 mg/kg bodyweight per day.
- Phenylalanine values in the bloodstream should be less than or equal to 4 mg/dL.
Some examples of foods that contain phenylalanine are
Since virtually all foods have phenylalanine in their composition, phenylketonurates must be guided by a nutritionist to properly follow the diet in order to meet all nutritional needs.
High phenylalanine levels during pregnancy can cause problems such as miscarriage; microcephaly mental retardation low IQ low birth weight and heart disease in babies.
See how you need to eat to control phenylketonuria levels in your phenylketonuria diet.