Phosphorus: Description and Daily Intake of the Mineral

Various minerals, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus—all these elements have a significant impact on human health. It's crucial to ensure a timely supply of all the necessary organic compounds for the body's systemic restoration and sustainable renewal.

The role of minerals in the body

In the human body mineral microelements play a diverse and important role, these substances are found in its structure and perform a huge number of basic functions:

• They maintain osmotic pressure in intercellular fluids and cells.
• They regulate water-salt exchange processes.
• They ensure the normal functioning of the digestive, cardiovascular, nervous and other systems.
• Maintain acid-base balance.
• They activate the action of or are part of vitamins, hormones, enzymes and, thus, take part in all types of metabolic processes.
• They take part in the processes of blood clotting and hematopoiesis.
• Maintain structural integrity in the body.
• They regulate transmembrane potential, which is required for the contraction of muscle fibers, the conduction of nerve impulses, and normal cell function.
• They take part in the structure of the forming elements of the blood and maintain its natural salt composition.
• They participate in the construction of tissues in the body, especially bone tissue, where calcium and phosphorus are the main structural elements.
• They are a basic component of food products, and their excess or prolonged deficiency in the daily diet leads to metabolic disorders and even diseases.
• They affect the body's immunity and its protective functions.

Acid-base balance

Micronutrients in the body maintain acid-base balance. This equilibrium is essential for maintaining a stable internal environment. However, dietary habits and the prevalence of alkaline or acidic compounds in the diet can influence shifts in the acid-base balance. Alkaline mineral microelements include: Sodium, magnesium, and calcium are found in considerable quantities in milk and fermented milk products (except cheese), as well as in vegetables, potatoes, berries, and fruits. Acidic mineral trace elements include chlorine, sulfur, and phosphorus. They are found in large quantities in fish, meat, bread, eggs, and cereals.

When the pH is less than 7, the environment is acidic, and if it is more, it is alkaline. Human blood is an alkaline environment.Its pH is approximately 7.5. Acids are constantly produced in the body as a result of constant metabolism. The body also receives large amounts of acids from food. To prevent various diseases, these acids are neutralized by alkaline microelements.

Testing food for alkalinity or acidity It's done this way. The product is burned, and the ash left behind is analyzed. When the ash is alkaline, the product is also alkaline. When the ash is acidic, the product is naturally acidic. But there are exceptions. For example, sugar, with its alkaline ash, and certain tropical fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, shift the body's internal environment toward the acidic side.

The diet should create a slightly alkaline environment in the circulatory system, providing the body with a higher energy level, strengthening teeth and bones, and providing immunity against flu and colds.

Average mineral requirements

For development and preservation normal functioning of the body Humans constantly use up mineral trace elements, requiring daily replenishment. A deficiency of certain substances, or their constant absence, can lead to various diseases. Mineral elements typically enter the body through food, and only a few are absorbed through the lungs and skin.

Minerals elements, absorbed in the stomach, pass into the blood and are transported to sites of accumulation or active metabolism. In humans, they are most often deposited in bones and also found in dissolved form in the body's fluids. These microelements are excreted from the body through feces and urine.

The most common deficiencies in humans are selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, and magnesium. Children during periods of active growth and women during pregnancy often experience iron and calcium deficiencies.

Sources of minerals

For any person the main thing is source of mineral elements is the food and water we consume. Some microelements are found everywhere and in significant quantities, while others are less common and in small quantities.

Various products in themselves contain different amounts of mineral elementsFor example, fermented milk products contain more than 25 different minerals, the most important of which are iron, calcium, fluorine, manganese, iodine, and zinc. Meat products contain substances such as titanium, silver, zinc, and copper, while seafood contains nickel, fluorine, and iodine.

Some foods have the ability to selectively concentrate large amounts of certain minerals. For example, grains contain high amounts of silicon, seaweed contains iodine, oysters contain zinc and copper, and shellfish contain high amounts of cadmium.

Of great importance is the ratio between different mineral elements, which enter the body. In some cases, they reduce each other's beneficial properties. For example, calcium absorption is impaired by excessive amounts of magnesium or phosphorus. For best results, it's important to maintain a magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus ratio of 1:2:3, respectively.

Excess and deficiency of mineral elements

Regardless of the high prevalence of mineral elements in natureDisorders in the body associated with a deficiency or, sometimes, an excess of these substances, are very common. The most common causes of this condition are:

• An unbalanced daily diet leads to deficiencies or insufficiencies of various nutrients and impairs the absorption of micro- and macronutrients. For example, calcium absorption is impaired by excess fat in the diet, while the absorption of oxalic acid, magnesium, and phosphorus is aggravated by vitamin D deficiency.
• A monotonous diet characterized by a prolonged predominance of certain foods at the expense of others. Only a varied diet can ensure a balanced intake of all micronutrients. For example, fermented milk products are the best sources of easily digestible calcium, but they are low in hematopoietic elements and magnesium.
• Consumption of certain medications that impair or inhibit the absorption of minerals from the gastrointestinal tract and disrupt their metabolic processes.
• The geological features of different regions of the country lead to a difference in the abundance or deficiency of mineral elements in local foods, determined by the chemical composition of the water and soil. This results in diseases specific to different regions. For example, endemic goiter is caused by iodine deficiency.
• Defrosting meat in water and prolonged cooking of peeled vegetables increases the loss of all minerals. The loss of magnesium, calcium, iron, and phosphorus during cooking of plant foods amounts to approximately 15%.
• Enormous loss of mineral elements due to ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, bleeding.
• When the body's needs for certain minerals increase, there are no dietary changes. For example, pregnant women and lactating women experience a sharp increase in their need for iron and calcium.

Excessive the amount of certain mineral elements can create a toxic effect and disrupt the overall balance of the nervous system. For example, sodium, acting in concert with potassium, is the most important micronutrient in the hydrosystem: sodium retains water in the body, while potassium, conversely, allows it to escape. A deficiency in table salt, which consists of two substances: chlorine and sodium, can cause swelling and lead to increased internal pressure.

Additional intake of mineral elements is prescribed when there is a deficiency in the body. Determine micronutrient deficiency This can be done through chemical testing. There may also be tests unrelated to chemical composition. For example, determining red blood cell counts in the blood can detect iron deficiency, a visual examination of the neck can detect iodine deficiency, and a bone densitometry can detect calcium deficiency. Treatment with mineral supplements is based on a diagnosis (for example, iron deficiency anemia during iron deficiency or hypomagnesemia during low magnesium levels in the blood).

Forms of existence of mineral elements

In the human body mineral elements I can exist in several forms:

• In the form of insoluble salts. In this form, mineral elements are found in tissue. For example, fluoride salts and calcium phosphates are found in dental tissue and bone.
• As part of organic cells. In this form, the bond is specific and strong. For example, iodine in thyroxine or iron in hemoglobin.
• Ionized form. In this form, mineral elements exist as dissociated dissolved salts, with the ions binding to protein cells to form complexes.

The importance of phosphorus in the human body

Phosphorus is an element that actively participates in many metabolic processes. Both the elderly and young children need this nutrient.

Phosphorus plays a role in the development of the skeletal system. In children's bodies Calcium and phosphorus are responsible for the proper formation of teeth and the skeletal systemConsuming these nutrients prevents osteochondrosis and strengthens bones, making phosphorus intake essential at any age. This nutrient also plays a role in metabolic processes. It helps release energy from food, helping people maintain a perfect figure. Furthermore, this element also helps absorb certain vitamins.

For the normal functioning of the heart and kidneys, the body requires an adequate amount of phosphorus. In newborns, this mineral also plays a role in the development of the nervous system.

Every day A person must consume from 1300 to 1600 mg of phosphorusA mineral whose daily dose is required for proper heart and kidney function and normal metabolic processes should ideally be at least 2000 mg.

Characteristics of phosphorus

This one of the essential chemical micronutrients for good health and human health. Phosphates—compounds containing them—are found in fairly large quantities in foods. High phosphorus content is found in:

• fish;
• different types of meat;
• greens;
• nuts;
• legumes;
• grain products.

These foods are also rich in other vitamins and substances that need to be consumed daily.

The importance of phosphorus for the body

Phosphorus plays a role in almost every process in the body Humans. This micronutrient's primary role is in supporting nervous system function, energy production, and metabolism. This is why minerals are an essential part of every person's diet.

To sum it up, it must be said that sufficient amount of phosphorus It helps renew and restore muscles, bones, kidneys, and liver. It also produces B vitamins, hormones, and enzymes. These substances are found in the formula of nucleic acids, which are responsible for heredity, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which provides energy for vital processes. A deficiency of these micronutrients in daily intake leads to serious disorders.