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Phosphorus
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Phosphorus is the second most common mineral in the body, after calcium. Phosphorus helps your body use energy, build strong bones and teeth, maintain a normal pH balance and carry oxygen to tissues. Basically, phosphorus (P) is an element you may remember from chemistry class. When oxygen is added to phosphorus it becomes phosphate (PO4). The two are chemically different, but the names are used interchangeably. DaVita renal dietitians on the east coast of the U.S. seem to prefer “phosphate”, while the west coast dietitians generally say “phosphorus”.
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Phosphorus (P) is another one of the essential elements that cycle through the ecosystem. It is an element that is found in the ground and then taken up by plants and animals. Phosphorus starts its existence as phosphate ions (PO4) in the rocks of the world. When it rains, the phosphates and other minerals are removed from the rocks and distributed in soils and the water all over the planet.
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Phosphorus and its compounds have other uses. These uses account for about 10 percent of all the phosphorus produced. For example, the compounds known as phosphorus pentasulfide (P2S5) and phosphorus sesquisulfide (P4S3) are used to make ordinary wood and paper safety matches. These compounds coat the tip of the match. When the match is scratched on a surface, the phosphorus pentasulfide or phosphorus sesquisulfide bursts into flame. It ignites other chemicals on the head of the match.
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Phosphorus has a tendency to wind up at the bottom of the ocean. Once at the bottom, the phosphate ions are lost to the world. Sometimes the phosphates are found in runoff water and go to the bottom and sometimes human poop contains phosphate and those phosphates are returned to the ocean. The problem is that all usable phosphorus sources are on the surface The atoms are useless once they reach the bottom of the ocean. Slowly but surely the surface of the Earth is running out of easy places to find phosphorus.
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Phosphorus is essential to the health of plants and animals. Many essential chemicals in living cells contain phosphorus. One of the most important of these chemicals is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the energy to cells they need to stay alive and carry out all the tasks they have to perform. Phosphorus is critical to the development of bones and teeth. Nucleic acids ... contain phosphorus.
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Phosphorus binders work in one of two ways. Some phosphate binders, such as Renagel® , work like a sponge and soak up the phosphates in the food so that it doesn’t get into the blood. Instead it is carried through the digestive tract and eliminated in the stool. Other phosphorus binders, such as Fosrenol®, Phoslo® and Tums® , work like a magnet. The phosphorus in the food connects to the phosphorus binder and it is carried through the digestive tract to be eliminated.
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