When it comes to the health of our bones and teeth, phosphorus is a key nutrient that should not be overlooked. Many of us know about calcium, but are we aware that calcium needs to combine with phosphorus in order to form strong, rigid and healthy bones? When calcium and phosphorus combine, they produce something called hydroxyapatite. This hydroxyapatite is the main component of our bones and teeth; it’s what gives them their strength and solid structure. Without adequate phosphorus, the calcium has nothing to bind with, the hydroxyapatite can not be formed, and the strength of our bones is sacrificed.
Phosphorus is also needed for the functioning of certain enzymes. Many of these enzymes are involved with our metabolism and energy production. We acquire most of our energy from the simple sugar, glucose; it’s a sugar that every cell in our body can use. Once that glucose gets inside a cell many changes need to occur. This is like taking our local currency to a foreign country. We may have the funds, but we need to exchange them in order to use them. Our cells need to do the same thing. They need to transform this glucose into our cell’s accepted currency. To do this, our cells take the glucose and after a series of enzyme reactions, produce the final product called ATP (short for adenosine triphosphate). This ATP is the energy that every cell in our body relies on. It’s the only accepted currency inside our cells and phosphorus is essential in its production.
Phosphorus is also involved in maintaining the acid-alkaline, or pH balance inside our body. For our body to be working efficiently it needs to be in a suitable and desirable environment. This isn’t referring to the external environment, like spread out on the beach somewhere, or nestled comfortably in an arm chair, it’s talking about the internal environment of our body, where all the enzymes live and work. The pH level of this environment is crucial and a lot goes on inside our body to maintain our pH at its optimum level. Levels can range from acidic to alkaline; our body functions best when kept in a slightly alkaline state and phosphorus is needed to do this.
Phosphorus is also a key component of our DNA and it also forms a phospholipid structure that abounds each and every cell in our body. Phosphorus has many functions that are integral to basic processes in our body.
A phosphorus deficiency is rare in healthy and well nourished people. It’s found in many foods and is readily available to our body. A deficiency is seen more in malnourished populations, people with severe eating disorders and also in alcoholics.
A phosphorus deficiency can effect the health of our teeth and bones. We need adequate amounts of phosphorus in our diets, so it can combine with calcium to build and maintain our skeletal strength. Failing this, a phosphorus deficiency in adults can cause softening of the bones, also known as osteomalacia. If a child does not receive their daily dose of phosphorus, then their skeletal development can be impaired. This can cause soft and malformed bones, also known as rickets.
A phosphorus deficiency can also effect the acid-alkaline balance in our body, and the proper functioning of the enzyme reactions it forms a part of. These imbalances can disturb many functions in our body.