This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Higher FGF-23 levels found in residents of highly industrialized nations
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Levels of fibroblast growth factor-23, which acts as a regulator of phosphate homeostasis, appear to be higher in residents of highly industrialized countries with greater access to foods containing phosphate additives, according to recent findings.
Holly Kramer, MD, MPH, associate professor in the department of public health sciences and medicine, division of nephrology and hypertension at Loyola University in Chicago, and colleagues evaluated data from adults (mean age, 35.1 years; 47.9% men) of African ancestry from study sites in the United States (n = 456), the Seychelles (n = 472) and Ghana (n = 468) to determine dietary phosphate intake, urinary levels of phosphate excretion and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) levels.
The researchers found that participants from the United States had higher mean phosphate intake compared with those from Ghana (P < .001). However, no significant difference was seen in phosphate intake between U.S. and the Seychelles populations.
Participants from Ghana had significantly lower fractional excretion of phosphate compared with participants from the United States, whereas no significant difference was seen in fractional excretion of phosphate between participants in the United States and Ghana.
The overall median FGF-23 values were 57.41 relative units (RU)/mL in the United States, 42.49 RU/mL in the Seychelles and 33.32 RU/mL in Ghana. In all locations, women had higher median FGF-23 levels compared with men.
In the pooled analysis of all three sites, the researchers found a positive association between FGF-23 levels and dietary phosphate intake (P < .001) and fractional excretion of phosphate (P < .001); no correlation was found between FGF-23 and plasma phosphate levels. Researchers found a positive correlation between dietary phosphate intake and fractional excretion of phosphate (P < .001).
“This study suggests that the distribution of FGF-23 levels in a given population may be influenced by the level of industrialization, likely due to differences in access to foods preserved with phosphate additives. As higher FGF-23 levels are associated with heightened risk for [cardiovascular disease], future studies should further explore the association between chronic dietary phosphate intake, FGF-23 levels and their association with health outcomes,” the researchers wrote.
“Clinicians should discuss dietary habits with patients and advise patients with the sage [knowledge] of our grandmothers: Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed foods is better for our health,” Kramer told Endocrine Today. “This advice is grounded in previous research and further supported by the findings of higher FGF23 levels in populations with higher net phosphate absorption, as reflected by higher urinary phosphate excretion.” – by Jennifer Byrne
For more information: Holly Kramer, MD, MPH, can be reached at hkramer@luc.edu.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts