Is phenylalanine vegan?
Phenylalanine is potentially vegan - it can be derived from plants or animals. You should ask the manufacturer for more details.
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So, what is phenylalanine?
Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid found in many foods, including meat, fish, dairy, and soy. It plays a critical role in protein synthesis, and is involved in the production of important neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Phenylalanine is also used as a nutritional supplement and is often added to foods and drinks as a sweetener. However, individuals with a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine properly and must avoid it to prevent serious health problems.
How to quickly find the source of ingredients like phenylalanine?
We've built a database of 49359 ingredients (and growing), classified as "vegan", "non-vegan", or "maybe vegan".
We use it in our vegan ingredients scanner, which is the best way to avoid non-vegan ingredients - you take a picture of a product's ingredient list, and the app tells you if the product is vegan or not.
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