Dietary Sources of Phosphorus among Adults in the United States: Results from NHANES 2001–2014

Abstract

Interest in the health effects of dietary phosphorus is burgeoning, yet sources and trends in phosphorus consumption have not been well characterized. We describe trends in and primary sources of dietary phosphorus in a nationally representative sample of 34,741 US adults, 20+ years old (NHANES 2001–2014). Dietary sources of phosphorus were estimated in nine food groups and 26 food categories. Phosphorus consumption was expressed in absolute intake, phosphorus density, and proportion contributed by dietary sources. Between 2001 and 2014, dietary phosphorus intake increased from 1345 to 1399 mg/day (p-trend = 0.02), while calorie intake slightly declined (p-trend = 0.1). Grains were the largest dietary phosphorus source, followed by meats, and milk products. Soft drinks accounted for just 3.3% of total dietary phosphorus. Phosphorus intake from grains increased 68 mg/day (p < 0.001), 25 mg/day from meats (p = 0.02), and decreased 75 mg/day (p < 0.001) from milk products. Dietary phosphorus intake and the phosphorus density of the diet are increasing. Grains are an important dietary phosphorus source that has increased in total consumption and phosphorus density. Further research is needed to determine if this is due to individuals’ selection of grains or the composition of those available.

Combined Mineral Intakes and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

“…Rapidly absorbed as hormonal mechanisms attempt to maintain the serum inorganic phosphate concentration within narrow limits; exposure of cells to a brief high-serum inorganic phosphorus concentration potentially signals alterations in cell functions that lead to deleterious effects; phosphate binds calcium, thus preventing calcium from binding to bile acids (27,28) Grains, meat, milk (29) Sodium Decreases 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 activity in the colonic epithelium, slowing down cortisol catabolism (19,30,31); may impair immune defenses in the colon epithelium the analytic cohort, leaving 35,221 participants, including 1,731 who developed colorectal cancer during follow-up, for analysis.…”

Effects of Excessive Dietary Phosphorus Intake on Bone Health

“…However, the average phosphorus intake of U.S. adults over the age of 20 is 1399 mg/d – approximately 2.5 times the EAR and twice the RDA. McClure et al (5) recently described the trends in dietary phosphorus intake in U.S. adults between 2001–2014 from NHANES data, as well as the percent contributions of various categories of foods to total phosphorus consumption. Although total phosphorus consumption has risen over the recent decades (6), intakes were relatively stable between 2001 and 2014 (5).…”

“…McClure et al (5) recently described the trends in dietary phosphorus intake in U.S. adults between 2001–2014 from NHANES data, as well as the percent contributions of various categories of foods to total phosphorus consumption. Although total phosphorus consumption has risen over the recent decades (6), intakes were relatively stable between 2001 and 2014 (5). Grains were the largest contributor to total dietary phosphorus intake, accounting for 29.3% of intake.…”

Letter to the Editor Re: McClure et al. Nutrients 2017, 9, 95

“…McClure and et al [1] also refer to the paper of St-Jules and coworkers [15] that reviewed urinary phosphorus excretion in four human intervention studies that were not, however, designed to compare phosphorus bioavailability by food source. Despite the fact that St-Jules et al found some discrepancies in the digestibility of food additive phosphates in those studies, they state that additives are the major dietary phosphorus source that can be eliminated without impairing diet quality of kidney patients [15].…”