they are either idiots -or the are stupid? hahahaha...
they realize it - we know -and the pharmacists know -

and they should let the folks know,
Definition

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare, inherited, metabolic disorder that can result in mental retardation and other neurological problems. People with this disease have difficulty breaking down and using (metabolizing) the amino acid phenylalanine. PKU is sometimes called Folling's disease in honor of Dr. Asbjorn Folling who first described it in 1934.

Description

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid. These substances are called "essential" because the body must get them from food to build the proteins that make up its tissues and keep them working. Therefore, phenylalanine is required for normal development. Phenylalanine is a common amino acid and is found in all natural foods. However, natural foods contain more phenylalanine than required for normal development. This level is too high for patients with PKU, making a special low-phenylala-nine diet a requirement.

The incidence of PKU is approximately one in every 15,000 births (1/15,000). There are areas in the world where the incidence is much higher, particularly Ireland and western Scotland. In Ireland the incidence of PKU is 1/4,500 births. This is the highest incidence in the world and supports a theory that the genetic defect is very old and of Celtic origin. Countries with very little immigration from Ireland or western Scotland tend to have low rates of PKU. In Finland, the incidence is less than 1/100,000 births. Caucasians in the United States have a PKU incidence of 1/8,000, whereas Blacks have an incidence of 1/50,000.

Related diseases:
Maternal phenylketonuria is a condition in which a high level of phenylalanine in a mother's blood causes mental retardation in her child when in the womb. A woman who has PKU and is not using a special low-phenylalanine diet will have high levels of phenylalanine in her blood. Her high phenylalanine levels will cross the placenta and affect the development of her child. The majority of children born from these pregnancies are mentally retarded and have physical problems, including small head size (microcephaly) and congenital heart disease. Most of these children do not have PKU. There is no treatment for maternal phenylketonuria. Control of maternal phenylalanine levels is thought to limit the effects of maternal phenylketonuria.

Hyperphenylalaninemia is a condition in which patients have high levels of phenylalanine in their blood, but not as high as seen in patients with classical PKU. There are two forms of hyperphenylalaninemia: mild and severe. In the mild form of the disease, patients have phenylalanine blood levels of less than 10 mg/dl, even when eating a normal diet (0.6–1.5 mg/dl is considered the normal range). There are few effects from the mild form of the disease. In the severe form of the hyperphenylalaninemia, patients have higher levels of phenylalanine in their blood. The severe form is distinguished from classical PKU by testing for the presence of phenylalanine hydroxylase (an enzyme that breaks down phenylalanine) in the liver. Classic PKU patients lack this enzyme in their liver, while patients with severe hyperphenylalaninemia have some enzyme activity, but at greatly reduced levels compared with normal persons. Patients with severe hyperphenylalaninemia are treated with the same diet as classical PKU patients.

Tyrosinemia is characterized by high levels of two amino acids in the blood, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Patients with this disease have many of the same symptoms as seen in classical PKU, including mental retardation. Treatment consists of a special diet similar to the diet for PKU. The main difference between the two diets is that patients with tyrosinemia must eat a diet that is low in both phenylalanine and tyrosine.

Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency disease is another metabolic disorder. Patients with this disease also have high levels of phenylalanine in their blood. Although phenylalanine levels can be controlled by diet, these patients still have mental retardation because they do not make enough of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which are essential for proper neurologic function.

— John T. Lohr, PhD

ps - aspartame is really not an amino acid it is equal and who knows I believe it was for embalming the dead....






bigpharma is soooooooooo nice to us - arent they?