The use of phosphate additives in food processing has accelerated since 1950, and in fact, for the first time in history, humankind faces an excess of phosphorus in the food supply because of the intentional addition of an estimated 40 to 50 different phosphate salts (Calvo and Park 1996). This, in turn, has introduced the possibility of an adverse effect of total phosphate consumption (from foods, beverages, and additives) on bone health, much as excess sodium intake from sodium-processed foods has contributed to the high prevalence of hypertension in the United States and other nations.
An interesting aspect of this increased intake of P is that it is not included in national survey esti-
Mates of total P consumption, meaning that the true intake of phosphorus in the United States is substantially underestimated (Oenning, Vogel, and Calvo 1988; Calvo and Park 1996). A study by M. S. Calvo and Y. K. Park (1996) shows a trend of increasing availability of phosphate additives in the food supply from specific items, such as frozen pizza, frozen processed poultry, and frozen prepared foods. Particularly worrisome is the increased availability of frozen processed poultry products in the marketplace over the last few years. (Frozen-food manufacturers, especially, utilize phosphate additives because of the phosphates’ stability when the foods are thawed or heated.) Fast-food entrees also often contain phosphate additives, but little or none of the phosphate-additive content of these foods is included in estimates of phosphorus consumption (Calvo and Park 1996).
World History
