Can Phosphorus set Cancer Cells Ablaze?
Phosphorus is an interesting micronutrient that many of us know little about, except perhaps from chemistry lessons at school. Perhaps you remember its ability to burst into flames spontaneously when it comes into contact with air?
We need some phosphorus in our diets, to:
Produce DNA and RNA, the components of our genes
Build new cells to grow and repair ourselves
Produce energy, as ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
To build and maintain healthy bones, in combination with calcium, as calcium hydroxyapatite.
However, as with so many dietary components, there is a sweet spot for phosphorus. Below that, our bodies don’t function well. Above it, it can cause health problems. The optimum intake for healthy adults is somewhere between 580 mg and 700 mg per day.
Sources of dietary phosphorus
In a healthy diet, most of our phosphorus comes from proteins.
Animal proteins have the most, including seafood, meats, eggs, yoghurt, cheese and milk (from both cows and soy). Our bodies absorb between 50 and 85% of the phosphorus from these.
Whereas we absorb between 30 and 50% of the phosphorus in vegetable proteins, such as beans, nuts, grains and vegetables.
However, we also get a lot of phosphorus, mainly as phosphates, from processed foods. These include processed meat, like bacon, ham, sausages, meat pies and corned beef. Processed cheeses also contain high levels of it, as do instant noodles, cakes and packaged pasta and sauces. And carbonated drinks, including cola, although relatively low in phosphorus, are easy to drink in large quantities.
The food industry uses phosphate additives to preserve colour and moisture, and to stabilise and enhance frozen foods. The industry’s use of phosphates, and the amount of them, is constantly rising as more food products come onto the market. To add to the problem, our bodies absorb them at rates of 90 to 95% (1).
The health effects of too much phosphorus
The most worrying effect of consuming too much phosphorus is that there is research showing that it increases your cancer risk (2, 3,4). It isn’t just one type of cancer either. It appears to increase the risk of breast, lung, skin, prostate, and bladder cancers (2,3,4).
For example, the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) looked at the phosphorus intake of 3,302 women in America. They found that women who consumed over 1800 mg of phosphorus each day had a 2.3 fold increase in their risk of breast cancer (2).
To put that in real terms, on average, there is a 13% chance that an American woman will develop breast cancer. That is a 1 in 8 chance (5). The women identified in the study had increased that to 30%. That means almost 1 in 3 of them is likely to develop breast cancer.
Phosphorus doesn’t just increase the risk of cancers starting. It encourages their growth, stimulates the growth of blood vessels to supply the tumour with nutrients, and raises the likelihood of metastasis too (3).
Besides increasing cancer risk, high blood phosphorus levels cause premature aging, kidney dysfunction, and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) (4). It also draws on calcium in the bones to remove it, weakening the bones and raising the risk of osteoporosis and fractures (6).
How can you get the balance right?
Since you need a certain amount of phosphorus for good health, what is the best way to ensure you don’t have too much of it and cause health risks?
Eating a Mediterranean diet is a good start, because that limits the amount of animal protein that you eat and boosts plant-based protein instead. Since animal protein has more bioavailable phosphorus, that will reduce the amount you absorb.
When/if you eat meat of any sort, limit yourself to up to 125 g (about 4 ounces) per meal.
Avoid dairy and soy milks, which are high in phosphorus. Three cups of fat-free milk contain 700 mg of phosphorus, which is close to the upper safe limit before you eat anything. Try making nut or seed mylks instead. It’s easy to do if you have a blender.
My favourite is hemp mylk. It’s high in protein and omega 3s and very easy to make because it doesn’t need straining. Blend 60 ml (1/4 cup) of hemp seeds, about 400 ml of filtered water, a little monk fruit sweetener and some vanilla extract. It makes 2 cups of creamy, tasty and very satisfying mylk.
Avoid packaged foods, if possible, as many of them contain phosphate additives. At least check the ingredients lists for phosphoric acid or any chemicals ending in phosphate. This applies particularly to snack foods, which use phosphates to improve flavour (6).
Watch out for breakfast cereals and refrigerated or frozen meals, which are often high in phosphates too (6). Try to find those that don’t by studying the ingredients list.
Don’t drink colas. Although they contain relatively small amounts of phosphorus, it’s easy to drink a lot of them. They are high in phosphoric acid and your body will absorb 90-100% of it. Better options are tea, green tea, herbal teas, coffee or flavoured water. If you must drink sodas, low sugar lemonade, diet versions of ginger ale, root beer, orange soda, Sprite® and 7Up® don’t contain phosphorus (6).
Fast foods are high in phosphate additives too, so are best avoided (6). And many restaurant meals contain them too (6). Look at these as ‘sometimes’ foods.
Conclusion
Phosphorus, while necessary for a healthy life, carries health risks if eaten to excess. Use the suggestions above to manage that risk and stay healthy.
If you need more guidance on how to avoid developing cancer, reducing the risk of recurrence or helping you through cancer treatment, check out my book. It has a huge amount of information on diet and lifestyle factors, as well as herbs and supplements. To find all the online sites where it’s available, click the button below.
References
Queensland Health. Renal phosphate. Queensland Health. November 2022. Accessed April 14, 2025. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/152098/renal_phosphate.pdf.
Brown R, Bigelow P, Dubin J, Mielke J. High dietary phosphorus is associated with increased breast cancer risk in a U.S. cohort of middle-aged women. Nutrients. 2023;15(17):3735. doi:10.3390/nu15173735
Brown RB, Razzaque MS. Phosphate toxicity and tumorigenesis. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer. 2018;1869(2):303-309. doi:10.1016/j.bbcan.2018.04.007
Venturelli S, Leischner C, Helling T, Renner O, Burkard M, Marongiu L. Minerals and cancer: Overview of the possible diagnostic value. Cancers. 2022;14(5):1256. doi:10.3390/cancers14051256
American Cancer Society. Breast cancer statistics: How common is breast cancer? Breast Cancer Statistics | How Common Is Breast Cancer? | American Cancer Society. 2025. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html.
Gal NJ, Headrick L, Bennett K, Dahl WJ. Chronic kidney disease: Phosphorus and your diet. EDIS. 2021;2016(1):4. doi:10.32473/edis-fs273-2015
