Conditions

Feeding your possible with PKU

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PKU Basics: A refresher

If you have PKU, you’re not alone. Phenylketonuria, or PKU, is an inherited metabolic condition that affects about one in every 10,000 babies born in Australia. A simple genetic change means that people with PKU don’t produce enough of an enzyme called phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), which is responsible for breaking down the amino acid Phenylalanine (Phe) in the protein that they eat. If people with PKU eat too much protein, Phe can build up in the body and cause problems. That’s why following a low protein diet is the way to reach your health potential and live your best life with PKU.

We call this “Feeding Your Possible”

Why should you feed your possible?

In the past, PKU management was mostly about preventing disabilities in children, and doctors thought it was OK to take people off diet during childhood. Research now shows that “diet for life” is the best way for people with PKU to maintain good health.

Adults and teenagers with high Phe levels have reported symptoms like headaches, tremors, lack of energy and skin rashes, as well as symptoms that affect their mood and thinking, like short term memory loss, trouble focusing, difficulty understanding information, anxiety and depression, and difficulties with social and emotional situations.

These are symptoms that can affect the way you look, think and feel, the way you get along with other people, and they can have an effect on your performance at work or school. Scientists have looked at the brains of people with PKU and they can actually see more abnormal changes in people who have had higher Phe levels over their lifetime.

Diet for life helps people with PKU be the best version of themselves.

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How is PKU diagnosed?

These days, all babies born in Australia are tested for PKU days after birth through the Newborn Screening Program. If high Phe levels are detected, more testing is done to confirm a PKU diagnosis. As soon as diagnosis is confirmed, a baby will start on a supplement to lower Phe levels. Starting diet and supplements early, and continuing through life is the best way to manage PKU.

How is PKU treated?

Everyone has specific and individual dietary needs, whether they have PKU or not, and reach their full potential by eating the food their bodies need. PKU is really no different. Thousands of Australians living with PKU feed their possible by following an individualised diet that includes low protein food and a PKU nutritional supplement, keeping an eye on their Phe levels, and regularly checking in with their metabolic team. It’s still the gold standard in PKU treatment.

There are many ways you can feed your possible at Low Protein Connect. Get inspired by our low protein recipes, discover flavour and variety in the online store where you’ll find a wide range of PKU supplements and low protein foods, and take time out for your wellbeing with our low protein lifestyle tips.

There are 3 ways to register:

On our Nutricia at Home website

Fill out the online registration form, attach a scanned copy of your prescription, and click ‘submit’

By e-mail

Download an electronic copy of our registration form

Email the completed form along with a scanned copy of your prescription to pharmacyau@nutricia.com

Contact our team for help

Call us on 1800 884 367, or email us at pharmacyau@nutricia.com and ask for help with registering.

We will send you a copy of the registration form in the post or by email.

Then, simply mail your completed registration form and original prescription to the Nutricia at Home Pharmacy at: Nutricia Pharmacy c/o Gavin Starr Pharmacist Advice 36 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066.

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