8/4/2020 Vitamins,

Minerals &
Hormones

Write a detail note on calcium and

phosphorus as bio minerals

Zahir Said
MSC (2ND) BIOCHEMISTRY
SUBMITTED TO SIR, IMRAN
  Phosphorus
What is phosphorus and what does it do?
After calcium, phosphorus is the most abundant mineral in your body, making up around 1% of
your body weight.
It has a number of roles in the body, and in particular, it’s crucial for:
 energy metabolism, or in other words releasing energy from food
 maintaining the structure of cells
 building strong bones and teeth
Phosphorus is found in a range of foods, for example fish, brown rice and oats, so most
people’s diet will provide them with all they need.3 However, you can have too much of a
good thing – it can be toxic in very high doses, so it’s important to limit how much you get
from supplements.
Phosphorus is available in multivitamins, or as a homeopathic remedy.

Function of phosphorus
What does phosphorus do in the body?
It helps build bones and teeth
Bones and teeth are actually made of a mineral called calcium phosphate. This means our
bodies need a dietary intake of phosphorus in order for it to be converted into phosphate to
help form new bone cells.
Releasing energy from food
Phosphorus – when converted to phosphate – is also an essential component of ATP (adenosine
triphosphate), a store of immediate energy in our cells.
Making cell membranes
The mineral is also used to make a type of fat called ‘phospholipids’, which we need to make
our cell membranes. Phospholipids help strengthen our cell membranes, while also giving the
cells enough internal space for essential cell structures, like the nucleus.
How much phosphorus do I need?
Both women and men need 550mg of phosphorus each day.
Do children need phosphorus?
 1-3 years – 270mg a day
 4-6 years – 350mg a day
 7-10 years – 450mg a day
 11-18 years – 625mg a day for girls, and 775mg a day for boys .

Which foods are the best sources of phosphorus?

Phosphorus is found in a range of foods, including fizzy drinks and processed meats. However,
healthier choices include animal sources such as;
 salmon
 yoghurt
 milk and cheese
 halibut
 turkey and chicken
 beef
 eggs
Phosphorus is also in the following plant foods, although the body finds it harder to absorb
this mineral from plants:
 legumes, like lentils and peas
  nuts
 seeds
 whole grains

What are the symptoms of a phosphorus deficiency?

 bone pain
 bone fractures
 loss of appetite
 muscle weakness
 fatigue
 anxiety14
There is also a risk of calcium deposits (calcification) in soft tissue.
If you think you may be deficient, ask your GP for a phosphate test to determine phosphorus
levels in your blood.
What happens if I consume too much phosphorus?
It’s more common to have too much phosphorus in the body than too little.
Too much phosphorus can be toxic, so this means you should be careful about how much you
get from supplements and also keep an eye on processed foods as many contain phosphate
additives. Unlike natural phosphorus in unprocessed foods, phosphate additives are very easily
absorbed by the body which means you can end up taking in too much. Foods with large
amounts of added phosphate include:
 processed meats, like ham and sausages
 tinned fish
 shop-bought cakes and biscuits
 fizzy drinks, including cola
At more than 1000mg of phosphorus a day, it can cause:
 diarrhea
 calcification inside organs and blood vessels
 poor absorption of other minerals, including iron and calcium
When taken over a long period, excess doses can also upset the balance of calcium in your
bones, increasing your risk of fractures and may be associated with kidney and heart disease.

 Calcium:
What is calcium and what does it do?
Calcium is a mineral that’s essential for all living organisms. It’s the most abundant mineral
in our body1 and is needed for:
 maintaining healthy bones and teeth
 normal blood clotting
 controlling muscle contractions, including heartbeat
 healthy digestion
Calcium is found in milk, cheese and dairy foods, dark green vegetables and nuts. Most
people will get all the calcium they need from their diet, but vegans or those who don’t eat
dairy may be lacking.4
A calcium deficiency can lead to rickets when you’re young, and osteoporosis or brittle bone
disease later in life.

What does calcium do in the body?

Around 99% of the calcium in our bodies is stored in our bones and teeth.  Calcium helps our
bones to grow strong until the age of 20-25, when bone density reaches its peak.
After the age of about 35 years, the amount of bone tissue we have naturally starts to
decrease, but calcium can help to maintain our bone density and slow down bone
loss.7 Calcium also enables our blood to clot normally and regulates our muscle contractions,
including our heartbeat.8
We lose calcium everyday via our skin, nails, sweat, urine and faces. Our bodies cannot make
calcium, so we need to get enough from our diets. If we don’t, our body can start leaching it
from our bones.
This is fine once in a while, but if it happens on a regular basis, it could eventually lead to
weak bones.
Vitamin D is essential to help our body absorb calcium properly from food. A calcium
deficiency could even occur due to low vitamin D levels. The government recommends
everyone over the age of one gets 10mcg of vitamin D a day. 11
How much calcium do I need?
The reference nutrient intake (RNI) for adults is 700mg a day – about the amount found in a
glass of milk and a small portion of whitebait12 – but some groups may need more, such as
breast-feeding women, post-menopausal women and those with coeliac disease.
How much calcium do children need?
Children need increasing amounts of calcium while growing, especially during puberty, to
build bone density.
 0-12 months – 525mg daily
 1-3 – 350mg daily
 4-6 – 450mg daily
 7-10 – 550mg daily
 11-18 – boys 1000mg, girls 800mg daily

Which foods are the best sources of calcium?

The best food sources of calcium include:
 a glass of malted milk – this contains your RNI in one glass
 fish with soft bones, like sardines or whitebait
 a glass of regular, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk
 a small portion of cottage cheese
 a small pot of yoghurt
The best plant-based sources of calcium include:
 calcium-enriched plant milks
 green leafy veg, such as kale
 dried figs
 nuts and seeds, including almonds
 white or brown bread – white and brown flour is fortified in the UK,

Who is most at risk of calcium deficiency?

You are more at risk of a calcium deficiency if you:
 are on a cow’s milk- or lactose-free diet
 have coeliac disease, as you may not be able to absorb nutrients properly
 are breast-feeding
 have been through the menopause – estrogen helps protect bones, so declining levels
can lead to osteoporosis
Children are at the greatest risk of developing rickets between six and 36 months because
they experience rapid growth during this time, which increases their need for calcium and
vitamin D. Rickets leads to soft bones and stunted growth
What are the symptoms of a calcium deficiency?
Symptoms of a calcium deficiency include:
 muscle aches and cramps
 extreme fatigue
 dry, itchy skin
 brittle nails
 tooth loss
 more fractures due to weak bones

 Minerals: Calcium, Phosphorus

 Minerals: Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium

 Three minerals—calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium—account for 98% of the body’s

mineral content by weight. Calcium and phosphorus play basic roles in countless
biochemical reactions at the cellular level. They are also the main components of the
skeleton, and without magnesium many metabolic functions could not take place.

 Phosphorus is in almost all animal and vegetable foods and is often found in foods that
contain calcium. Milk and dairy products, fish bones (such as in canned salmon and
sardines), and dark-green, leafy vegetables are the best sources of calcium.
Magnesium, like phosphorus, is abundant in animal and plant cells.

 Healthy children do not lack phosphorus and magnesium because these minerals are
easily absorbed. By contrast, low calcium intakes are very common, especially
among adolescent girls who shun milk and dairy foods to avoid fat calories. These girls
risk osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, starting as early as age 30. Nonfat milk,
yogurt, and other dairy foods are excellent sources of calcium and do not add
unwanted fat calories to the diet.

 Mineral absorption is influenced by a number of factors, including certain hormones

and vitamin levels. Infants absorb calcium more easily than adults do, and the rate of
absorption is increased when other nutrients are around, including the milk sugar
lactose, the amino acids lysine and arginine, and vitamin C (e.g., calcium-fortified
orange juice).

 Calcium absorption may be decreased by high dietary levels of phosphate, oxalate (in
rhubarb and certain leafy green vegetables), or phytate compounds in fiber.
 Too much protein in the diet may increase the amount of calcium excreted in the
urine and decrease the amount available for building bones.