Eating Protein Could Cause Brain Damage to 7-Year-Old Girl

A 7-year-old girl from the U.K. is at risk for brain damage if she doesn’t stay on a strict diet of fruits and vegetables, the Daily Mail reported.

Borsi Batki from Coventry, England suffers from a rare inherited condition known as phenylketonuria or PKU. Babies born with this condition are missing the enzyme needed to breakdown an essential amino acid called phenylalanine, which is found in foods with protein, according to the National Institutes of Health.

If too much phenylalanine builds up in the body – it can be harmful to the central nervous system and cause brain damage.

As a result, Borsi can’t eat anything with protein in it, especially foods like milk, eggs, cheese and chicken. Instead, a majority of her meals consist of a special pasta in tomato sauce.

“Pretty much everything is off the menu,” Her mother Maria, 37, said. “She can't eat any meat, normal pasta, bread, fish and yogurt.

Babies in the U.S. and many other countries are screened for PKU shortly after birth. In this case, Borsi was diagnosed with the condition at 6 weeks old.

“The thing about PKU is that it isn't like diabetes – you don't see the affects straightaway,” her mom added. “If Borsi has a meatball or a bite of cake, she will seem fine on the outside. But if she carries on the toxins gradually collect in her body, poisoning her brain.”

Click here to read more from The Daily Mail.