Breastfeeding in Phenylketonuria: Changing Modalities, Changing Perspectives

Abstract

Phenylketonuria (PKU) management aims to control phenylalanine (Phe) intakes. In newborns and infants this implies possible titration of Human milk (HM) with supplementation of Phe-free formula. HM benefits, better if prolonged, are well known in healthy populations, suggesting it may be used in PKU patients. Despite that, the current literature does not define recommendations on how best perform it in such a population. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate nutrition approaches in newborns and infants affected by PKU and to define if differences can influence the duration of breastfeeding. Data from 42 PKU infants were reviewed. Of these, 67% were breastfed with the use of three different approaches. The type of approach used impacted the duration of breastfeeding, which was longer when using a pre-measured amount of Phe-free formula administered prior to HM. This is the first study to suggest a specific method for breastfeeding in PKU. Considering widely known breastfeeding benefits, both for patients and their mothers, our data should encourage adequate awareness on how to choose correct breastfeeding modalities.