Phosphorus
Requirements:
- RDA:
1,200 mg./day for 11 - 24 years
800 mg./day for 25 and over
1,200 mg./day for pregnant or lactating women
Daily Optimal Intake:
Supplement Forms:
- May be found in vitamin/mineral supplements
- Most people need to reduce phosphorus rather than
supplement it
Food Sources:
- Carbonated soft drinks
- Fish
- Food additives
- Milk and dairy products
- Meat
Deficiency:
- Very little possibility of a deficiency since most people
consume too much phosphorus
Causes of Deficiency:
- Total parenteral nutrition
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Alcoholism
- Excessive use of antacids
- Treatment of diabetic acidosis
Adverse Reactions and Toxicity:
Drug/Nutrient Interaction:
- Increased phosphorus can inhibit calcium absorption
Biochemical Functions:
- Essential component of nucleic acids and phospholipids
- Essential structural role in teeth and bony skeleton
- Utilized during glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to
synthesize ATP
- Part of some conjugated proteins like casein in human
milk
- Part of the phosphate buffering system inside cells
Clinical Indications:
- Rarely indicated for any pathological condition except
hypophosphatemia
Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).