Phosphorus in Your Diet

Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD on January 30, 2024
Written by Danny Bonvissuto, Kristin Mitchell
7 min read

Phosphorus is a mineral, like iron or potassium. You have more of it in your body than any other mineral, except calcium.

 In drug or supplement form, it's called phosphate.

Phosphorus plays an important role in keeping you healthy, so it’s an important part of your diet. One of its main tasks is to serve as a building block for healthy teeth and bones. You may think that's calcium's job. But calcium needs phosphorus to make your teeth and bones strong.

Phosphorus also helps your nerves and muscles do their jobs. It's a buffer that keeps the pH level in your blood balanced. Phosphorus also works in your body to turn fat, carbs, and protein into energy.

This mineral is hard at work in every one of the trillions of cells in your body right now.

The amount of phosphorus you need each day depends on your age (if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you'll need the same amount as other adults).

  • Up to 6 months: 100 milligrams
  • 7 months-1 year: 275 milligrams
  • 1-3 years: 460 milligrams
  • 4-8 years: 500 milligrams
  • 9-13 years: 1,250 milligrams
  • 14-18 years: 1,250 milligrams
  • 19 years and older: 700 milligrams

If you have a health issue that keeps you from getting enough phosphorus from food, your doctor can prescribe a supplement. Phosphate also treats some types of urinary tract infections and prevents calcium stones in the urinary tract.

Phosphorus plays many key roles in your body. Close to 85% of the phosphorus in your body is in your bones and teeth. It's also found in your tissues and cells and helps to:

  • Support storage and use of energy
  • Get rid of waste in the kidneys
  • Lessen pain in your muscles after exercise
  • Signal certain nerves in the body

In order to grow, repair, and keep your tissues and cells healthy, you need phosphorus. It's also needed to help balance other vitamins and minerals in your body and to create DNA and RNA.

 

Because phosphorus is essential to all living things, including plants and animals, it's in almost everything you eat and drink.

Phosphorus is highest in these foods:

  • Meats and other proteins: beef, poultry (like chicken and turkey), fish, and organ meat like liver
  • Milk and dairy foods: eggs, cottage cheese, and ice cream
  • Beans: navy, kidney, soy, pinto, and garbanzo
  • Grains: bran and wheat germ
  • Nuts and seeds: almonds, cashews, peanut butter, and sunflower seeds
  • Dried fruit
  • Garlic cloves
  • Some vegetables, like russet potatoes
  • Soy products (including brands of soy milk)
  • Certain varieties of fish, with bluefin tuna and salmon having higher amounts

Some brands also add it to processed food, including:

  • Hot dogs, lunchmeat, sausage, and chicken nuggets
  • Snacks
  • Colas and other carbonated drinks
  • Beer
  • Energy drinks
  • Fast food
  • Ready-to-eat meals

Most fruits and vegetables are low in phosphorus (but they have plenty of other health benefits). Learn more about phosphorus foods.

It's rare to run low on phosphorous, since you can find it in so many foods. But phosphorus deficiency, also called hypophosphatemia, can happen if you have alcohol use disorder, a blood acid condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, or certain inherited disorders. 

A shortage can also occur if you have certain health conditions like:

  • Starvation
  • Diabetes
  • Eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia (whichcan cause levels of phosphorus in your body to fall)
  • Crohn's disease and celiac disease (which can also affect your phosphorus levels because they make it harder for your body to take in nutrients)

Also, antacids that contain aluminum can drain your body of phosphorus if you take them for a long time. Diuretics, also known as water pills, can play a role in causing your levels to drop.

If you have low levels of phosphorus for a short time, you won't notice any side effects. 

If you have a moderate or severe case, you may not feel like eating, or you may have muscle weakness, bone pain, or numbness or tingling in your arms and legs. Other symptoms include:

  • Anxiety
  • Changes in weight
  • Joint stiffness
  • Breathing that's not normal
  • Being cranky
  • Tiredness

Testing for low levels of phosphorus include a phosphorus blood test. You would provide a blood sample, and the test can determine how much phosphorus is in your blood. Abnormal levels could be caused by bone, kidney, or liver disease.

Phosphate supplements are usually not needed, as most people get enough phosphorus from the foods they eat. Some athletes use supplements to reduce tiredness of their muscles. But because supplements can interact with other medications, it's important that you only take them as directed by your doctor.

The amount of phosphorus  in supplements is usually about 10% or less of the amount the FDA recommends you get daily, but a few can provide more than 100%. 

Side effects

If you're taking supplements, you may have some side effects that don't require seeking medical help. The effects may lessen or go away on their own as soon as your body adjusts to the treatment, or your doctor can tell you how to handle or reduce them. 

Still, some less common side effects can occur, including:

  • Weakness, numbness, or tingling of your hands, feet, or around your lips
  • Weight gain
  • Cramping of your muscles
  • Heavy feeling in your legs
  • Fatigue or weakness
  • Changes in your heartbeat
  • Trouble breathing
  • Swelling of your lower legs or feet
  • Decrease in pee or how often you pee
  • Increase in how thirsty you are
  • Tremors or seizures
  • Headaches, dizziness, or feeling confused
  • Anxiety

Precautions

Certain medications you're taking may interact with phosphorus supplements, including:

  • NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like aspirin or ibuprofen)
  • Antacids
  • Corticosteroids
  • Diuretics (water pills)
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Blood pressure medication
  • Blood thinners
  • Insulin
  • Cholesterol-lowering medications (bile acid sequestrants)

 You should also be cautious about supplements if you have allergies or are pregnant or breastfeeding. It's important to let your doctor know if you are taking any other medications because of possible interactions between the treatment and phosphorus supplements. They can also let you know the best times to take your supplement (for example, before or after a meal) and how to use it the right way (like dissolving pill and powder forms).

If you have certain medical conditions, your doctor also needs to be aware, as the use of phosphate may make your condition worse. These medical conditions include:

  • Underactive parathyroid glands
  • Toxemia of pregnancy
  • Infected kidney stones or kidney disease
  • Myotonia congenita
  • High levels of phosphate in your blood

Other medical conditions that can be affected by phosphorus supplements include liver disease, edema, dehydration, severe burns, heart disease, bone softening, or rickets.

 

When they work well, your kidneys remove extra phosphorus your body can't use.

If you have a kidney condition like chronic kidney disease, you may have high levels of phosphorus. This can cause your bones to lose calcium or calcium deposits to form in your blood vessels, eyes, heart, and lungs. If you have too much phosphorus in your body for a long period of time, your chance of a heart attack or stroke goes up.

You can also get too much phosphorus, a condition called hyperphosphatemia, if you take too much of the supplement phosphate. Side effects include diarrhea and stomach cramps. Talk to your doctor about the right balance for your body.

If you need to lower the amount of phosphorus in your system because of a kidney condition, start with cutting back on processed foods. Your blood absorbs almost all the added phosphorus in processed foods. You only absorb about 20%-50% of the phosphorus in natural foods like meat and beans.

If you want to know how much phosphorus a processed food contains, you might not see the word "phosphorus" on the ingredient list. Look for the syllable "phos" in additives like:

  • Calcium phosphate
  • Phosphoric acid
  • Sodium acid pyrophosphate

Phosphorus plays many key roles in your body, including helping to keep your bones and teeth healthy and to grow and repair your tissues and cells. It's also needed to help balance other vitamins and minerals in your body, and to create DNA and RNA. Most people don't need more phosphorus, as it's found in many foods. If you need to take phosphate supplements for certain health conditions, like diabetes, Crohn's disease, or eating disorders, talk to you doctor first. Phosphorus can interact with other medications and can impact other health concerns.

 

  • What does phosphorus do to the body? Most of the phosphorus in your body is in your bones and teeth. It also helps grow, repair, and keep your tissues and cells healthy; to help balance other vitamins and minerals in your body; and to create DNA and RNA.
  • What happens when your phosphorus is high? High levels of phosphorus can cause your bones to lose calcium or calcium deposits to form in your blood vessels, eyes, heart, and lungs. If you have too much phosphorus in your body for a long period of time, your chance of a heart attack or stroke goes up. You can also get a condition called hyperphosphatemia if you take too much of the supplement phosphate, with side effects that include diarrhea and stomach cramps. Talk to your doctor about the right balance for your body.
  • What is phosphorus used in? Phosphorus is added to certain foods to keep color and moisture and to help maintain frozen foods.
  • What happens if you have too little phosphorus? Phosphorus deficiency can happen if you have alcohol use disorder, a blood acid condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, or certain inherited disorders. A shortage can also occur in cases of starvation, diabetes, eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease. Also, taking antacids and diuretics can play a role in causing your levels to drop.