Phosphorus is essential for good bone health and makes up around 1 percent of your body weight. But high levels of phosphorus may damage bones and lead to bone-related conditions, such as osteoporosis. However, in general, you'll only experience problems with a high-phosphorus diet if you don't eat enough calcium or if you have kidney disease.
Phosphorus
Around 85 percent of the phosphorus in your body occurs in the bones, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. It combines with calcium to create hydroxyapatite -- a substance that's vital for the structure of bone itself. To much phosphorus can trigger the loss of calcium from bone. Many food types contain phosphorus, particularly milk and cheese, as well as most meats and other high-protein foods.
Calcium Levels
The body tries to keep calcium levels in the blood and the bone stable. Calcium will transfer from the blood to bone, but it also moves from bone to the blood. In effect, your bones act as calcium storage vessels. When you eat foods containing lots of phosphate, such as carbonated drinks, levels of phosphorus in your blood rise. This can mean that some calcium transfers back into your blood to keep the mineral balance.
Studies
Despite concerns over the effects of a high-phosphorus diet on the bones, evidence is still inconclusive as of 2011. For example, a 2001 study published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that women who took 3,008 mg of phosphorus per day but also consumed almost 2,000 mg of calcium had no real negative effects on the mineral content of their bones. However, studies measuring high phosphorus combined with very low calcium are rare because of the risks involved.
Considerations
The Institute of Medicine sets its suggested daily phosphorus intake at 700 mg each day for adult men and women. However, teenagers and children older than 9 should get up to 1,250 mg per day -- in part to help their growing bones. Children younger than 9 need only 500 mg per day, with lower doses for toddlers and infants. An 8 oz. glass of milk contains 247 mg of phosphorus, an 8 oz. tub of yogurt has 385 mg and one large cooked egg has 131 mg.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Phosphorus; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; June 13, 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute; Phosphorus; Jane Higdon, Ph.D.; April 2003
- Medline Plus; Phosphorus in Diet; Linda Vorvick, M.D.; March 9, 2009
- "European Journal for Clinical Nutrition"; High Phosphorus Intake Only Slightly Affects Serum Minerals, Urinary Pyridinium Crosslinks and Renal Function in Young Women; M. Grimm, et al.; March 2001
