Phosphorous
What is it?
Phosphorous is an essential mineral but not a specific micronutrient. It is the second most abundant element in the human body after calcium.
Its function in the body is to combine with calcium to form calcium phosphate (hydroxyapatite) to constitute bony and dental structures.
Phosphorous and calcium should be in equal proportions, because a deficiency or excess of one of them can alter absorption of the other mineral element. This ratio between the two minerals is regulated by the parathyroid hormone.
80% of phosphorous is found in bony structures. Another 10% is found in striated muscle, and the remaining 10% intracellularly as part of phosphoproteins, phospholipids, phosphoglycerides, and nucleic acids, and extracellularly as dibasic or monobasic phosphate.
Intake and deficiencies
Deficiencies
Calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorous, and vitamin D form a “team” of closely related nutrients, with certain levels of each required for them to perform their functions properly in the body. Foods can supply sufficient or excessive amounts of potassium, phosphorous, and sodium, but calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D intake is often insufficient in chronic diseases.
The phosphorous concentration depends on external inputs. Phosphorous is found in large amounts in most foods and also in additives in processed food and soft drinks, making average intake significantly higher than requirements.
Therefore, phosphorous deficiency is rare, but it can arise in the following cases: very low-calorie diets, high fructose diets, alcoholism, chronic diarrhea, and daily and long-term consumption of antacids, mainly ones containing aluminum (Almax®, Gelodrox®, etc.). Phosphorous binds to aluminum in the intestine.
Reference values
NRV, PRI
The NRV is 700 mg. The PRI for adults is 700 mg.
There is no UL established by EFSA at the moment.
Phosphorous toxicity is highly unlikely with normal kidney function, but there is a risk in the case of kidney failure.
NRV: Nutrient Reference Value. These are the daily amounts recommended for vitamins and minerals (micronutrients only) considered sufficient in the European Union to prevent a deficit in most healthy individuals in the population. They are the values used for labeling and claims.
PRI: Population Reference Intake. These are the reference values for a specific population group, defined as the amount of energy and/or nutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients) recommended to cover the nutritional needs of practically the entire population. They refer to healthy population groups. The values are expressed per person per day, as a 15-day average. To account for individual differences in digestive and metabolic processes, the PRI figure used for each nutrient is the average plus twice the standard deviation (except for energy, for which the average is used), thereby including almost all healthy individuals in the group (97.5%).
UL: Tolerable Upper Intake Level: the maximum level of total daily intake of a nutrient in a context of long-term or chronic consumption which does not pose a risk to health.
Foods with phosphorous
Foods of animal origin, such as meats, fish, shellfish, etc., have the highest phosphorous content. In addition, processed meats, industrial baked goods, and carbonated beverages tend to contain added phosphates.
People with kidney failure should limit their consumption of foods with a high phosphorous/protein ratio, such as: all types of dairy products, egg yolks without the white, organ meats, monkfish, mussels, barnacles, oysters, sardines, wholegrain pasta, brown rice, breakfast cereals, industrial baked goods, white beans, fava beans, nuts, cookies, pastries, baked goods, all types of chocolate, all types of soft drinks, sparkling and other wines, beer.
