Phosphorus found in our body is a large molecule and once you reach stage 5 kidney disease, it becomes more difficult to remove — even during dialysis. This means more phosphorus remains in your system after dialysis and remains until it is used by your body. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient and is necessary for many body functions including energy, however continually having high phosphorus is dangerous and has been shown to lead to more hospitalizations, calcifying of blood vessels/organs and potentially life-threatening.
Watching what you eat and taking your phosphorus binders is essential to maintaining good health with CKD stage 5. Natural phosphorus is found in foods containing protein (which is a very important part of the CKD stage 5 on dialysis diet) and about 60-80% is absorbed — whereas phosphorus additives are found in many processed and fast foods are 100% absorbed.
Limiting or avoiding added phosphorus can significantly improve your phosphorus values and potentially reduce the number of binders you need to take with meals. Because phosphorus is harder to remove, it will accumulate in your body. The best line of defense is limiting your intake of added phosphorus and taking your phosphorus binders. Talk with your dietitian to see what changes you can make to potentially decrease the number of binders you need with meals.
