Body composition profile of young patients with phenylketonuria and mild hyperphenylalaninemia.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence in support of low bone density in young patients with disorders of phenylalanine metabolism; however, little is known about muscle and fat mass in these patients, especially in those with mild hyperphenylalaninemia (mHPA). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate body composition of children and adolescents with early-diagnosed disorders of phenylalanine metabolism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the Institute of Child Health, which is the national center that performs newborn screening. Bone, muscle, and fat mass of 48 patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) and 32 patients with mild mHPA, aged five to 18 years, were compared to 57 age- and sex-matched controls. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was used for this purpose. RESULTS: Compared to controls, bone mineral density (BMD) was lower in patients with PKU (mean total body BMD z score, 0.11; P = 0.03) and in those with mild mHPA (mean lumbar BMD z score, -0.34; P = 0.01). Lean body mass and fat mass were not significantly affected in the study group. Comparison between the two patients groups did not reveal any difference in body composition profiles; however, pubertal status appeared important for within-group comparisons. Fat mass was significantly increased in teenagers with PKU, which was more evident in those with poor dietary compliance irrespective of gender (fat mass z score, 0.66; P = 0.018). Finally, positive correlations were found not only between bone, muscle, and fat mass in both groups, but also between fat mass and Phenylalanine levels in patients with PKU (r, 0.46; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Bone mineral density appears suboptimal in young patients with disorders of phenylalanine metabolism. Adolescents seemed more prone to obesity, especially when their dietary adherence was poor, whereas muscle mass was not considerably affected. To ensure healthier bones and less fat content, close follow-up as well as proper lifestyle advice is needed.

Branched chain amino acids as adjunctive therapy to ketogenic diet in epilepsy: pilot study and hypothesis.

A pilot prospective follow-up study of the role of the branched chain amino acids as additional therapy to the ketogenic diet was carried out in 17 children, aged between 2 and 7 years, with refractory epilepsy. All of these patients were on the ketogenic diet; none of them was seizure free, while only 13 had more or less benefited from the diet. The addition of branched chain amino acids induced a 100% seizure reduction in 3 patients, while a 50% to 90% reduction was noticed in 5. Moreover, in all of the patients, no reduction in ketosis was recorded despite the change in the fat-to-protein ratio from 4:1 to 2.5:1. Although our data are preliminary, we suggest that branched chain amino acids may increase the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet and the diet could be more easily tolerated by the patients because of the change in the ratio of fat to protein.

Application of a ketogenic diet in children with autistic behavior: pilot study.

A pilot prospective follow-up study of the role of the ketogenic diet was carried out on 30 children, aged between 4 and 10 years, with autistic behavior. The diet was applied for 6 months, with continuous administration for 4 weeks, interrupted by 2-week diet-free intervals. Seven patients could not tolerate the diet, whereas five other patients adhered to the diet for 1 to 2 months and then discontinued it. Of the remaining group who adhered to the diet, 18 of 30 children (60%), improvement was recorded in several parameters and in accordance with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Significant improvement (> 12 units of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale) was recorded in two patients (pre-Scale: 35.00 +/- 1.41[mean +/- SD]), average improvement (> 8-12 units) in eight patients (pre-Scale: 41.88 +/- 3.14[mean +/- SD]), and minor improvement (2-8 units) in eight patients (pre-Scale: 45.25 +/- 2.76 [mean +/- SD]). Although these data are very preliminary, there is some evidence that the ketogenic diet may be used in autistic behavior as an additional or alternative therapy.