What Disease Is Caused Due To Deficiency Of Essential Amino Acids?
The disease caused due to the deficiency of vital amino acids in the diet of a person is known as phenylketonuria (which is abbreviated as PKU). Phenylketonuria is a genetic disorder. A person suffering from phenylketonuria is called a phenylketonuric. Phenylketunorics suffer from a lack phenylalanine hydroxylase, which is the enzyme essential to speed up the metabolism rate of the essential amino acid phenylalanine. Though PKU is a rare genetic disorder, if it is left untreated it can cause progressive mental retardation and brain damage, caused by the accumulation of phenylalanine and the by-products of its breakdown. The essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. These are considered essential or indispensable amino acids because they are required in the diet of a human being, and should be given as supplements in the diet as they cannot be synthesised as such by the human body. Arginine, cysteine, g
