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The naturally occurring phenylalanine is L-phenylalanine. The synthetic form of phenylalanine, or man-made in a lab, is D-phenylalanine. A mixture of both types is DL-phenylalanine.

Phenylalanine is essential to your body, but you must get it from outside sources in the food you eat. A 200-calorie serving of meat will contain approximately 1300 milligrams of phenylalanine. Dairy products and eggs will contain approximately 2400 milligrams of phenylalanine per 200 calorie serving. Some foodscontaining naturally occurring phenylalanine are:

• Milk
• Yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Bananas
• Nuts
• Beef
• Poultry
• Pork
• Fish
• Soy
• Yeast
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard
• Turnip greens
• Kidney beans

The artificial sweetener aspartame contains phenylalanine in fairly high quantities. The FDA approved phenylalanine for use in the United States in 1980. Any food containing aspartame or phenylalanine are required to state this on their product label, "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine". Aspartame is used in over 6000 food items, a few which are:

• Diet soda
• Chewing gum
• Breath mints
• Low calorie or sugar free yogurt
• Low calorie or sugar free ice cream
• Low calorie instant breakfast drinks
• Chewable vitamin supplements
• Diet teas
• Sugar free coffees
• Sugar free topping mixes
• Low calorie wine coolers
• Sugar free cookies and snacks
• Sugar free or low calorie cereals
• Artificial sweeteners-Equal and NutraSweet

Some over the counter medications, especially those claiming to be sugar free, contain phenylalanine. A few of them are:

• Alka Seltzer
• Augmentin
• Benadryl
• Halls sugar free cough drops
• Robitussin sugar free
• TheraFlu
• Triaminic
• Advil
• Motrin
• Laxatives
• Vitamins
• Pedialyte freezer pops

The phenylalanine daily allowance set by the United States Food and Drug Administration varies per individual. Researchers have set a range for normal healthy adults between 750 to 3,000 milligrams of L-phenylalanine in their diet each day.

When the body is deficient in phenylalanine, a couple of the phenylalanine side effects might be depression and fatigue. The brain uses phenylalanine to make the chemical dopamine, which regulates mood and adrenaline, which is why a deficiency may cause depression.

Researchers are studying the different effects that taking higher doses of phenylalanine may have on certain diseases and conditions. Depression and fatigue have been studied and some researchers believe taking extra phenylalanine may be helpful in treating them. Some researchers have looked into treating Parkinson's disease with phenylalanine since the brain may use the chemical to help with the central nervous system and motor skills. Phenylalanine is being used to treat premenstrual syndrome, migraines, back pain, chronic pain, and vitiligo (a condition of the skin).

Anyone can overdose on phenylalanine, especially if you are in the habit of drinking too many sodas or foods that use the artificial sweetener aspartame. High blood pressure or hypertension are phenylalanine side effects of a diet too high in the amino acid. Children who take medications for Attention Deficit Disorder may experience hypertension if it contains too much phenylalanine. Phenylalanine may interact negatively with prescription drugs for other illnesses. Other side effects of too much phenylalanine in your diet are, headaches, nausea, and heartburn.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare condition where a person is not able to breakdown the amino acid phenylalanine when it enters the body. At birth infants receive a blood test to check for PKU. High levels of phenylalanine are dangerous if ingested by people born with phenylketonuria. An excess of unprocessed phenylalanine in individuals with PKU can lead to brain damage.

Phenylalanine consumption needs to be within reasonable dosages for healthy individuals. Do not try to treat any condition mentioned in this article by ingesting extra phenylalanine. Consult your doctor about phenylalanine side effects if you suspect you have one.