Phenylalanine & Resveratrol

Phenylalanine is considered an essential amino acid because your body cannot synthesize it and you must get it through dietary means. Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant that is found in some plants, most notably in red grapes. Resveratrol is thought to be one of the heart-healthy ingredients found in red wine. Scientists have discovered a method of synthesizing resveratrol using phenylalanine as a precursor molecule.

Phenylalanine Function

Phenylalanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is an important functional and structural component of proteins and enzymes. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, phenylalanine is used by your body to make other essential chemicals and molecules like the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, epinephrine and L-dopa. Phenylalanine is also used by your thyroid gland to make hormones that are responsible for metabolic stimulation. There are several medical conditions that phenylalanine has been purported to help, including chronic pain, depression and Parkinson's disease.

Phenylketonuria

Some individuals suffer from a rare genetic disorder that inhibits their ability to metabolize phenylalanine, which is a condition known as phenylketonuria. According to MayoClinic.com, sufferers of phenylketonuria cannot break down phenylalanine, which can lead to serious problems like impaired cognitive function, seizures and other neurological complications. Individuals who have phenylketonuria need to restrict phenylalanine intake from dietary sources to avoid complications.

Resveratrol and Health Implications

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant that is found in the skins of red grapes. Most notably, resveratrol has been implicated as the heart protective compound of red wine, due to its antioxidant effects. According Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute, resveratrol has also been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells when tested in the laboratory. However, these anti-cancer and heart protective benefits of resveratrol have yet to be proven in large-scale human studies.

Phenylalanine and Resveratrol

While there is no functional or biological relationship between phenylalanine and resveratrol in humans, they are related in plants. According to journal "Resveratrol in Health and Disease," resveratrol is synthesized from phenylalanine in wild grapes using a special enzyme called phenylalanine ammonia lyase. Accordingly, resveratrol can only be synthesized by some plants, such as grapes, and cannot be naturally synthesized by your body using phenylalanine.