Phenylalanine

Type: Essential Amino Acid
Name: Phenylalanine (Phe, F), Chemical formula C9H11NO2
Importance- to Body:
A building block of protein, is being experimented for pain and adhd.
Distribution- in Body:
Enters liver and blood stream. After amino acids circulate the body they join with others during the breakdown and synthesis of tissue in the body. An amount of both essential amino acids and non-essential are needed for protein synthesis.
Excess Effects:
Heartburn, Headaches, Anxiety, Dizziness, Fatigue, Nausea, Jitteriness, Insomnia, Darkening of Skin, Nerve Damage, Hypertension, and High Blood Pressure.
Deficiency Effects:
Depression, Sluggish Metabolism, Confusion, Low Energy, Reduced Appetite, Vitiligo (a skin condition that causes skin to have light patches because skin loses its pigment), Difficulty Remembering Things.
Food Sources:
Meat, Eggs, Fish, Cheese, Liver, Soybeans.
Environmental/Geographic Sources:
Supplemental information:
Vitiligo is found to be maintained/treatable by taking Phenylalanine in combination with UVA exposure. Individuals with schizophrenia should not take phenylalanine. Schulze and Barbieri identified the compound in 1879 in yellow lupine seedlings. People with a rare disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) need to stay clear from phenylalanine because it prevents them from metabolizing Phe.