LOTUSFOREST

Phosphorus And Junk

Listen Later

Phosphorus is a vital part of human nutrition.

Functions

  • The outer layer of human cells is made up of two layers of molecules composed of lipids and phosphorus, in a form called phosphate, which means that it is bound with oxygen and hydrogen. So phosphorus is an integral part of the cell membrane.
  • Phosphate is also part of the cell’s inner fluid, and is essential for several of the cell’s processes – ADP and ATP are the units of energy that the cell uses for converting oxygen and glucose into energy. So without phosphate, there would be no cellular activity.
  • DNA and RNA contain phosphorus in their chemical structure, it is often thought of as the glue that holds them together.
  • Most of the phosphorus in our body is found in the bones. The main crystalline structure in bone, hydroxyapatite, consists of phosphorus, calcium, oxygen and hydrogen. Without phosphorus, our bones wouldn’t be strong enough.
  • Phosphorylation is a chemical process by which phosphorus is linked to an amino acid, signaling proteins that stimulate bone growth. Together, they balance bone growth with breakdown and remodeling.
  • It’s a key player in the hormonal process that controls calcium and bone metabolism. High levels of phosphorus (as phosphate ions) in the blood increase the level of parathyroid hormone (PTH). This hormone decreases calcium loss in the urine, increases calcium absorption from foods (via activation of vitamin D) and pulling calcium from bones. This is only a concern if phosphorus levels are dangerously high, as with kidney disease – see below.
  • Phosphorus is one of the buffers that maintains correct pH balance in the body. This is crucial because, as Otto Warburg found in 1931, cancer can only thrive when the body’s pH (acid / alkali balance) is lower than 7.36, (in other words, relatively acidic); cancer thrives at a pH level of 6.0. An article about this on sparkpeople.com is HERE. The pH of blood is 7.35-7.45. Lower pH leads to less oxygen in the cells, higher pH leads to more oxygen in the cells. If the cell cannot get oxygen through normal means, it starts to ferment in order to produce nourishment for itself. This destroys the ability of the DNA and RNA to control cell division, leading to excessive proliferation. However, most of the population has more than enough phosphorus.

    • About phytates

    Phosphorus in vegetables is in the form of phytic acid. Phytic acid binds together with minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc and lowers their absorption from the digestive tract. In plants, phytic acid is used as storage of phosphorus, to be released at the correct time in plant growth. This is regulated in the plant by phytase enzymes. Bacteria living in the human digestive tract can produce phytases. What this means is that the amount of phosphorus (and calcium, iron and zinc) we get from food depends on our gut health. This bacteria evolves over time, so if you are not in the habit of eating a lot of vegetables, but you are starting to go more along that route, it takes time for the biome to adapt.

    Fermented foods such as tempeh, miso soup, pickles and yoghurt can increase phosphorus bioavailability from phytic acid.

    Also, soaking of beans and legumes, seeds and grains breaks down the phytic acid to about half. Sprouting breaks down phytic acid even more and makes the phosphorus totally bioavailable.

    Yeasts also contain phytase enzymes, so including whole grains in bread with yeast increases the phosphorus’ (and other nutrients’) bioavailability.

    Therapeutic uses:

    In the US, adult men tend to consume about twice the amount of phosphorus that they need each day. Deficiency is very uncommon. At risk from deficiency are children at times of rapid growth.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    LOTUSFORESTBy Elise Mori