Phosphate is a charged particle (ion) that incorporates the mineral phosphorus, which is current in our meals. In your physique, most phosphorus combines with oxygen to kind phosphate, about 85% of which is present in your bones. Phosphate performs a lot of necessary roles, from constructing bones and tooth to appearing as a constructing block for compounds used for mobile vitality, cell membranes and DNA.¹

Nonetheless, should you eat a typical Western weight loss plan excessive in processed meals, meat and grains, it is vitally straightforward to overdo your phosphorus consumption. This may be detrimental to your well being, significantly together with low ranges of calcium.

Excessive Phosphate Consumption Could Have an effect on Mitochondrial Perform, Selling Oxidative Stress

Analysis has proven that prime intakes of bioavailable phosphate can result in oxidative stress and vascular calcification by affecting mitochondrial perform.² Apparently, sustaining sufficient magnesium ranges might assist defend towards these dangerous results.

In your physique, phosphate can act on mitochondria, the powerhouses of your cells, to extend their membrane potential. This heightened membrane potential results in elevated manufacturing of superoxide, a kind of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which causes oxidative stress within the physique.

The elevated oxidative stress as a consequence of excessive phosphate ranges can result in vascular calcification. In continual kidney illness (CKD), excessive phosphate ranges promote a transition of vascular easy muscle cells to a bone-like state, contributing to the hardening of blood vessels.³

The hormone fibroblast development issue 23 (FGF23), which is elevated in response to excessive phosphate ranges, additionally contributes to oxidative stress and vascular harm. FGF23 prompts particular pathways in coronary heart cells and blood vessel linings, additional selling these dangerous results.

Satisfactory ranges of magnesium within the physique, in the meantime, might assist counteract the dangerous results of excessive phosphate ranges.⁴ Magnesium can mitigate the rise in mitochondrial membrane potential attributable to phosphate, thereby decreasing oxidative stress and stopping vascular calcification.

In research, dietary magnesium has proven protecting results towards these points, suggesting that sustaining sufficient magnesium ranges might function an antidote to the unfavorable impacts of excessive phosphate consumption.

The proposed mechanism entails magnesium’s skill to counteract phosphate’s results on mitochondrial membrane potential.⁵ This interplay might clarify why magnesium is useful in stopping vascular calcification. Moreover, it means that magnesium might have broader protecting results towards the dangerous impacts of excessive phosphate ranges within the blood, referred to as hyperphosphatemia.

Your Dietary Calcium to Phosphate Ratio Is Vital for Metabolic Well being

Your dietary calcium to phosphate ratio (Ca:P) is necessary for optimum metabolic well being. Calcium is essentially the most plentiful mineral present in your physique — phosphorus is the second.⁶ Nonetheless, your physique can’t make this important mineral. Virtually all calcium — 99% — is present in your tooth and bones. The remainder is present in your nerve cells, physique tissues, blood and different physique fluids.

Calcium is so important for correct perform that your physique tightly controls how a lot is in your blood to a reasonably slender degree of 8.5 to 10.5 mg/dl of extracellular fluid.⁷ For optimum well being, you wish to maintain calcium in your bones; well being challenges happen when it as a substitute turns into saved in smooth tissues.

Sadly, dietary calcium has acquired a foul rap just lately largely as a result of worry of calcification, or the buildup of calcium in physique tissue. This buildup can kind hardened deposits in smooth tissues, arteries and different areas, and might intrude with organ perform, reminiscent of within the case of hardened blood vessels within the coronary heart.

Nonetheless, dietary calcium is just not the reason for this calcification. Low dietary calcium is. In response to Dr. Ray Peat:

“This can be very necessary to understand that calcium deposits in smooth tissues grow to be worse when the weight loss plan is low in calcium … It’s counterproductive to eat a calcium-deficient weight loss plan, since that results in a rise in intracellular calcium on the expense of calcium from the bones.

… There are a number of such paradoxes: As bones lose calcium, the smooth tissues calcify; when much less calcium is eaten, blood calcium might improve, together with calcium in lots of organs and tissues; if an organ reminiscent of the guts is disadvantaged of calcium for a short while, its cells lose their skill to reply usually to calcium, and as a substitute they take up a big, poisonous quantity of calcium.”

In truth, dietary calcium deficiency is an enormous drawback worldwide, resulting in bone issues, will increase in parathyroid hormone (PTH) ranges and elevated calcification of sentimental tissues. With low dietary calcium, your physique compensates so as to maintain your blood calcium focus within the desired vary.

In case you eat insufficient dietary calcium to fulfill your physique’s calcium wants, your parathyroid glands nearly instantly launch PTH into your blood to carry your calcium degree again as much as regular. As famous within the Journal of the American School of Diet, “Low calcium consumption will increase … parathyroid hormone (PTH), inflicting calcium inflow into vascular easy muscle cells.”⁸

An Supreme Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio Is Near or Above 1:1

An excellent Ca:P ratio is 1:1 to 1.3:1.^9,10,11 Nonetheless, phosphate consumption is 2 to a few occasions greater than really helpful ranges in lots of nations,^12,13 whereas complete dietary calcium stays under the really helpful values,¹⁴ resulting in decrease ranges of Ca:P ratios.¹⁵ Nonetheless, when your calcium is low, the following launch of PTH triggers a stress response in your physique signaling that there’s not sufficient calcium coming in.

PTH indicators to your tissues to transform the storage type of vitamin D into 1,25 D (also referred to as calcitriol or activated vitamin D), which gives the sign to drag calcium out out of your bones and into the bloodstream.

Calcium is just not the one nutrient that works to suppress the antimetabolic PTH. We additionally want sufficient ranges of magnesium and vitamin D. All of those work in live performance to maintain PTH ranges in verify. Additional, as famous in Nursing Occasions, phosphate homeostasis is equally complicated:¹⁶

“There may be some variation within the regular plasma phosphate ranges quoted within the literature, however values of 0.70-1.50mmol/L are typical of these cited … The homeostatic management of phosphate is complicated, primarily involving PTH, fibroblast development issue 23 (FGF23) and vitamin D.

Along with its function in calcium homeostasis, PTH will increase the discharge of phosphate from the mineral shops in bone, whereas concurrently enhancing the elimination of phosphate within the urine.

Equally, FGF23 additionally enhances renal elimination of phosphate; collectively PTH and FGF23 collectively cut back plasma phosphate concentrations. Conversely, vitamin D acts antagonistically to PTH and FGF23, rising the plasma phosphate focus by enhancing phosphate absorption within the intestine.”

Too A lot Phosphate Could Hurt Your Coronary heart, Speed up Ageing

Sustaining the suitable steadiness of phosphate is essential for all times and, as such, you’ve developed a fancy system to control phosphate ranges. Nonetheless, since your kidneys are chargeable for eliminating phosphate, folks with decreased kidney perform usually have an excessive amount of phosphate of their our bodies.

Extra phosphate is understood to trigger issues with bones and minerals in folks with CKD. Current research have additionally proven that prime phosphate ranges can hurt the guts and speed up getting old.¹⁷ In truth, phosphate toxicity is among the the explanation why CKD promotes untimely getting old.¹⁸ Elevated ranges of FGF23 and PTH contribute to those unfavorable well being results.

Managing phosphate ranges in folks with superior CKD is widespread observe. Nonetheless, given the potential for an excessive amount of phosphate to behave as a poison for people, researchers wrote in Kidney Worldwide that “the overall inhabitants might also be considered as a goal for phosphate administration.”¹⁹ Peat famous:

“Current publications are exhibiting that extra phosphate can improve irritation, tissue atrophy, calcification of blood vessels, most cancers, dementia, and, typically, the processes of getting old … Holding a excessive ratio of calcium to phosphate helps to oppose the stress metabolism.”

Enhance Your Ca:P Ratio

Quick meals and ready-to-eat processed meals are the primary contributors to rising dietary consumption of phosphate. Phosphates are extensively utilized in processed meals as preservatives and taste enhancers. Our estimated day by day consumption of phosphate-containing meals components has greater than doubled because the Nineties.²⁰

On meals labels, phosphates can seem underneath numerous names reminiscent of sodium phosphate, calcium phosphate, monopotassium phosphate and pyrophosphate. They’re generally present in frozen pizzas, soda, processed cheese, processed meat and lots of different ultraprocessed meals. Phosphates are additionally present in meat, seeds, beans, nuts and entire grains.

Though I don’t agree, DiNicolantonio recommends a plant-based weight loss plan to average dietary phosphate absorption, together with optimizing magnesium, nutritional vitamins Okay and D, and different methods:²¹

“Dietary phosphate absorption may be moderated by emphasizing plant-based dietary selections (which offer phosphate in less-bioavailable types), avoidance of processed meals containing inorganic phosphate meals components, and by ingestion of phosphate-binder medication, magnesium dietary supplements, or niacin, which precipitate phosphate or suppress its gastrointestinal absorption.

The propensity of dietary phosphate to advertise vascular calcification could also be opposed by optimum intakes of magnesium, vitamin Okay, and vitamin D; the latter also needs to counter the tendency of phosphate to raise parathyroid hormone.”

As talked about, whereas I don’t suggest vegan or vegetarian diets, I do counsel making dietary changes to assist restore a balanced Ca:P ratio. Along with avoiding ultraprocessed meals, meat is a phosphorus-rich meals, so it should be balanced with optimum ranges of dietary calcium. The most effective sources of dietary calcium embrace:

Egg shells are made nearly solely of calcium carbonate, which is what makes up your nails, tooth and bones. The calcium on this entire meals supply is correctly balanced with 27 different minerals, making it simpler to your physique to soak up and assimilate the vitamins within the shells.

Egg shells even have one of many lowest ranges of poisonous heavy metals, particularly relative to bone meal powder.²² Bones, particularly from older cows, may be excessive in poisonous heavy metals like lead and mercury.

Consuming 1/4 teaspoon 3 times a day with meals for about 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium on prime of your weight loss plan is a good place to begin if you’re not consuming quite a lot of dairy. In case you expertise constipation, complement with magnesium on the similar time.

You should utilize a meals monitoring app reminiscent of Cronometer to search out out your complete phosphorus and calcium consumption. Divide your complete calcium consumption by your complete phosphorus consumption to get your calcium to phosphorus ratio. Once more, the best ratio is near or barely above 1:1.