Author Question: Discuss the risks associated with high phenylalanine levels in the mother during ... (Read 57 times)

amal · **on:** Aug 20, 2018

Discuss the risks associated with high phenylalanine levels in the mother during pregnancy.

Question 2

As the body shifts to partial dependence on ketones for energy during prolonged fasting:

a. the body increases its energy output.
b. the body conserves its lean tissue.
c. the body increases its metabolism.
d. the body's loss of lean tissue increases.

C.mcnichol98 · **Reply #1 on:** Aug 20, 2018

Answer to Question 1

If present during early pregnancy, high levels of phenylalanine accumulate in the embryo and fetus and impair normal central nervous system development. Elevated phenylalanine levels in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy increase the risk of heart defects. The risk increases if high blood levels of phenylalanine are combined with low protein diets early in pregnancy. Untreated women with PKU have a 92 percent chance of delivering a newborn with mental retardation and a 73 percent chance that the infant will be born with an abnormally small head (microcephaly). Infants born to women with high blood levels of phenylalanine during pregnancy are at elevated risk of seizures, hyperactivity, and abnormal behavioral patterns later in life.

Answer to Question 2

b