Phosphorus

Phosphorus - there is another one of these essential nutrients for the body and how much do we really know about it? Phosphorus the nutrient is actually a mineral and belongs to the so-called seven major minerals. This mineral phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate rocks
and almost never as a free element due to its high reactivity with other elements. One form of phosphorus actually emits a light glow when exposed to oxygen and therefore phosphorus was given its name, which means light in Greek. Phosphorus is one essential part in DNA and RNA and for all living cells. It is found in big amounts in healthy bones an teeth.

Phosphorus and a healthy diet go very well together since the human body readily absorbs phosphorus. Foods high in phosphorus are found in nature everywhere. Phosphorus rich foods include dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, seeds, eggs, whole grains, dried beans and peas.

Such foods like beans, peas and nuts are foods high in phosphorus but are resistant to digestion itself. These high phosphorus foods can only properly digested with the intestinal micro flora or processes involving yeast, like the rising of bread that releases a digestible form of phosphorus. Some foods containing phosphorus do so because they absorbed it from the fertilizer used for growing them.

Phosphorus information and facts about phosphorus can be found in the current mineral list from the International Mineralogy Association.

One of the ways phosphorus enters the body is though meat consumption. Sometimes meats phosphorus concentration can be really high. New grains such as distillers grain are fed to the animals since contain high amounts of fats and proteins. But distillers grain phosphorus is also at high levels and should be regulated.

Other uses of different phosphorus compounds are widely used in the industry and military. These products are for example explosives, nerve agents, friction matches, fireworks, pesticides, toothpaste and detergents.

Phosphorus deficiency is very rare in the United States and Western Europe. If a phosphorus deficiency occurs its symptoms include weakness, appetite loss and pain in bones.

Lots of phosphorus articles have been written trying to bring this mineral closer to all that are interested in its functions and other phosphorus information. Some even will tell you about the important fact that research discovered a long time ago that vitamins and phosphorus and other different minerals are needed to work together in the human body to keep it healthy and well balanced.