Binge Eating Disorder

 FAQ Binge Eating Disorder

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Binge eating disorder is the most common type of eating disorder in the World. 

People with binge eating disorder often feel out of control and eat a large amount of food at one time (called a binge). Unlike other eating disorders, people who have binge eating disorder do not throw up the food or exercise too much. Binge eating disorder is a serious health problem, but people with binge eating disorder can get better with treatment.

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What is binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder is a type of eating disorder. Eating disorders are mental health problems that cause extreme and dangerous eating behaviors. These extreme eating behaviors cause other serious health problems and sometimes death. Some eating disorders also involve extreme exercise.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, women with binge eating disorder feel out of control and eat too much (binge), at least once a week for at least three months. During binges women with binge eating disorder usually eat faster than normal, eat until they are uncomfortable, eat when they are not physically hungry, and feel embarrassed, disgusted, or depressed because of the binges. Women with this type of eating disorder may be overweight or obese.

What is the difference between binge eating disorder and other eating disorders?

Women with eating disorders, such as binge eating disorder, bulimia, and anorexia, have a mental health condition that affects how they eat, and sometimes how they exercise. These eating disorders threaten their health.

Unlike people with anorexia or bulimia, people with binge eating disorder do not throw up their food, exercise a lot, or starve themselves. People with binge eating disorder are often overweight or obese. But not all people with binge eating disorder are overweight, and being overweight does not always mean you have binge eating disorder.

It is possible to have more than one eating disorder in your lifetime. Regardless of what type of eating disorder you may have, you can get better with treatment.

Who is at risk for binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder affects more than 3% of women in the United States. More than half of people with binge eating disorder are women.

Binge eating disorder affects women of all races and ethnicities. It is the most common eating disorder among Hispanic, Asian-American, and African-American women.

Some women may be more at risk for binge eating disorder.

• Women and girls who diet often are 12 times more likely to binge eat than women and girls who do not diet.
• Binge eating disorder affects more young and middle-aged women than older women. On average, women develop binge eating disorder in their early to mid-20s.6 But eating disorders are happening more often in older women. In one study, 13% of American women over 50 had signs of an eating disorder.

What are the symptoms of binge eating disorder?

It can be difficult to tell whether someone has binge eating disorder. Many women with binge eating disorder hide their behavior because they are embarrassed.  

You may have binge eating disorder if, for at least once a week over the past three months, you have binged. Binge eating disorder means you have at least three of these symptoms while binging:

• Eating faster than normal
• Eating until uncomfortably full
• Eating large amounts of food when not hungry
• Eating alone because of embarrassment
• Feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty afterward

People with binge eating disorder may also have other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse.

What causes binge eating disorder?

Researchers are not sure exactly what causes binge eating disorder and other eating disorders. Researchers think that eating disorders might happen because of a combination of a person's biology and life events. This combination includes having specific genes, a person's biology, body image and self-esteem, social experiences, family health history, and sometimes other mental health illnesses.

Studies suggest that people with binge eating disorder may use overeating as a way to deal with anger, sadness, boredom, anxiety, or stress.

Researchers are studying how changing levels of brain chemicals may affect eating habits. Neuroimaging, or pictures of the brain, may lead to a better understanding of binge eating disorder.

Learn more about current research on binge eating disorder.

How does binge eating disorder affect a woman's health?

Many, but not all, women with binge eating disorder are overweight or obese. Obesity raises your risk for many serious health problems:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Gallbladder disease
• Certain types of cancer, including breast, endometrial (a type of uterine cancer), colorectal, kidney, esophageal, pancreatic, thyroid, and gallbladder cancer
• Problems with your menstrual cycle, including preventing ovulation, which can make it harder to get pregnant

People with binge eating disorder often have other serious mental health illnesses such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. These problems can seriously affect a woman's everyday life and can be treated.

How is binge eating disorder diagnosed?

Your doctor or nurse will ask you questions about your symptoms and medical history. It may be difficult to talk to a doctor or nurse about secret eating behaviors. But doctors and nurses want to help you be healthy. Being honest about your eating behaviors with a doctor or nurse is a good way to ask for help.

Your doctor may also do blood, urine, or other tests for other health problems, such as heart problems or gallbladder disease, that can be caused by binge eating disorder.

How is binge eating disorder treated?

Your doctor may refer you to a team of doctors, nutritionists, and therapists who will work to help you get better.

Treatment plans may include one or more of the following:

• Psychotherapy.Sometimes called "talk therapy," psychotherapy is counseling to help you change any harmful thoughts or behaviors. This therapy may focus on the importance of talking about your feelings and how they affect what you do. For example, you might talk about how stress triggers a binge. You may work one-on-one with a therapist or in a group with others who have binge eating disorder.
• Nutritional counseling. A registered dietitian can help you eat in a healthier way.
• Medicine, such as appetite suppressants or antidepressants prescribed by a doctor. Antidepressants may help some girls and women with binge eating disorder who also have anxiety or depression.

Most girls and women do get better with treatment and are able to eat in healthy ways again. Some may get better after the first treatment. Others get well but may relapse and need treatment again.

How does binge eating disorder affect pregnancy?

Binge eating disorder can cause problems getting pregnant and during pregnancy. Pregnancy can also trigger binge eating disorder.

Obesity raises the level of the hormone estrogen in your body. Higher levels of estrogen can stop you from ovulating, or releasing an egg from the ovary. This can make it more difficult to get pregnant. However, if you do not want to have children right now and have sex, you should use birth control.

Overweight or obesity may also cause problems during pregnancy. Overweight and obesity raises your risk for:

• Gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and preeclampsia (high blood pressure and kidney problems during pregnancy). If not controlled, both problems can threaten the life of the mother and the baby.
• Gestational diabetes (diabetes that starts during pregnancy). If not controlled, gestational diabetes can cause you to have a large baby. This raises your risk for a C-section.

Pregnancy can raise the risk for binge eating disorder in women who are at higher risk for eating disorders. In one study, almost half of the women with binge eating disorder got the condition during pregnancy. The research suggests that binge eating during pregnancy may be caused by:

• Worry over pregnancy weight gain. Women may binge because they feel a loss of control over their bodies because of the pregnancy weight.
• Greater stress during pregnancy
• Depression
• History of smoking and alcohol abuse
• Lack of social support

After pregnancy, postpartum depression and weight from pregnancy can trigger binge eating disorder in women with a history of binge eating. Women with binge eating disorder before pregnancy often gain more weight during pregnancy than women without an eating disorder. Researchers think that weight gain during pregnancy may cause some women who had binge eating disorder before pregnancy to binge eat during pregnancy.

If I had an eating disorder in the past, can I still get pregnant?

Yes. Women who have recovered from binge eating disorder, are at a healthy weight, and have normal menstrual cycles have a better chance of getting pregnant and having a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Tell your doctor if you had an eating disorder in the past and are trying to become pregnant.

If I take medicine to treat binge eating disorder, can I breastfeed my baby?

Maybe. Some medicines used to treat binge eating disorder can pass through breastmilk. Certain antidepressants can be used safely during breastfeeding.

Talk to your doctor to find out what medicine works best for you. Learn more about medicines and breastfeeding in our Breastfeeding section. You can also enter a medicine into the database to find out if the medicine passes through breastmilk and about any possible side effects for your nursing baby

A Little change also can change your Life

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Start Small Changes For Your health:

Small changes can add up for a healthy lifestyle. Choose one change to focus on at a time and have the whole family make the change together! Children learn by watching their role models - and that's you! For example, you may decide to make sure there is a vegetable at evening meals for a week. Once you have your first change down, it's time to celebrate! Do a happy dance or high-five a friend. Then, add another change to your next week. Before you know it, you have found the healthy eating style that works for you and your family.

What is Nutrieat?

Nutrieat is an easy way to see the five food groups that build a healthy diet and can help you find a healthy eating style that works for you and your family. Nutrieat can be a good place to start seeing where healthy changes could be made. But remember focus on one change at a time!

Image: nutrieat.org

Nutrieat: Your Five Food Groups

Main Five Food Groups

The five food groups that make up Nutrieat are Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, and Dairy.

Vegetables

Any whole vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts on Nutrieat! Choose veggies that are fresh, frozen, or canned. Vegetables provide important nutrients that are important for your health.

Quick Tip: If you limit your salt intake – look for low sodium canned vegetables instead, or drain and rinse the vegetables to remove some of the sodium before cooking.

All vegetables are great choices – make some of your choices even better by choosing dark green, red, and orange veggies! Think kale, spinach, red bell peppers, and carrots to get more dark green, red, and orange in your week.

Fruits

Is fruit the perfect sweet addition to any meal or snack? We think so! What counts as a fruit on Nutrieat? Fruits that are fresh, canned, frozen, dried, or 100% fruit juice are all good choices. Choose fresh and whole fruits when you can – like a whole banana, apple, or handful of grapes. Stick with canned fruits that have 100% fruit juice or light syrup instead of heavy syrups. We recommend limiting 100% fruit juice to 1 cup (225 ml) per day.

Grains

Any food made from cereal grains like wheat, oats, and barley falls into this food group. Common grain foods include bread, pasta, crackers, rice, cereal, and tortillas! Grains are a great source of carbohydrates, which our body uses for energy. Aim to choose whole grain sources at least half of the time. These foods not only pack great flavour, but great nutrition! They contain important nutrients and fibre for good health. What are your top grain picks? We love corn tortillas, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa!

Proteins

Protein foods include both meat and vegetable-based choices! Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts & seeds, and beans & peas all contain protein and other nutrition for good health. Lean or lower-fat options are more heart healthy, such as lean or extra-lean ground beef, skinless chicken, unsalted nuts, or beans.

Dairy and Substitutes

Milk and many foods made from milk are part of the dairy group. Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, contain many nutrients, such as protein and calcium, for good health. Calcium is important for strong bones and teeth! Soy-milk is also part of the Dairy group if it is fortified with calcium (has calcium added). Aim to choose more low fat and fat-free choices! Dairy is in the blue circle to the side of Nutrieat. Two to three servings per day (1 serving = 225 ml glass of milk) can help most of us meet our daily calcium needs.

Better Beverages: They Learn from Watching You!

“I learned about how much sugar was in some of my family’s favourite drinks and was shocked! We have started cutting back and drinking more water instead. We still drink those old favourites sometimes, but now only as a treat instead of every day.”

There are so many choices when it comes to drinks and beverages! It really can be tough to know which ones are the best options for our families. Many drinks have added sugar, fat, or salt. Balance your beverage choices with activity and healthy foods for a lifestyle that works for you! Get the kids involved, too. They can help make healthy choices at home!

Good And Bad Beverages

Best Choices: Yes! Offer and choose these drinks most often to stay hydrated

• Water (plain or seltzer)
• Unsweetened tea or coffee (limit coffee to 4 cups per day or less)
• 1% or fat-free milk (3 cups per day)

Choose Less Often: Slow Down! These beverages are not as good for you

• Diet Soft Drinks or Sodas
• Flavoured waters
• 100% juice (limit to 1 cup per day)

Choose Rarely: Limit these to rare occasions! These drinks have more added sugars, fats, or alcohol.

• Soft Drinks or Sodas
• Energy or Sports Drinks
• Fruit Flavoured Drinks
• Sweetened Coffee Drinks
• Milkshakes or Smoothies
• Alcoholic Beverage.

Essential Vitamins to your age groups

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The list of vitamins and minerals below can give you an understanding of how particular different types of vitamins and minerals work in your body, how much of each nutrient you need every day , and what types of food to eat to ensure that you are getting an adequate supply. 

Image: Nutrieat.org

The recommendations in this vitamins chart are based largely on guidelines from the Institute of Medicine. Recommended amounts of different types of vitamins may be expressed in milligrams (mg), micrograms (mcg), or international units (IU), depending on the nutrient. Unless specified, values represent those for adults ages 19 and older.

Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/listing_of_vitamin,

VITAMIN	BENEFITS	RECOMMENDED AMOUNT (daily RDA* or daily AI**)	UPPER LIMIT (UL) per day	GOOD FOOD SOURCES	DID YOU KNOW?
RETINOIDS AND CAROTENE (vitamin A; includes retinol, retinal, retinyl esters, and retinoic acid and are also referred to as "preformed" vitamin A. Beta carotene can easily be converted to vitamin A as needed.)	Essential for vision Lycopene may lower prostate cancer risk. Keeps tissues and skin healthy. Plays an important role in bone growth and in the immune system. Diets rich in the carotenoids alpha carotene and lycopene seem to lower lung cancer risk. Carotenoids act as antioxidants. Foods rich in the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin may protect against cataracts	M: 900 mcg (3,000 IU)W: 700 mcg (2,333 IU)Some supplements report vitamin A in international units (IU's).	3,000 mcg (about 10,000 IU)	Sources of retinoids:beef liver, eggs, shrimp, fish, fortified milk, butter, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese Sources of beta carotene:sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, squash, spinach, mangoes, turnip greens	Many people get too much preformed vitamin A from food and supplements. Large amounts of supplemental vitamin A (but not beta carotene) can be harmful to bones. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
THIAMIN (vitamin B1)	Helps convert food into energy. Needed for healthy skin, hair, muscles, and brain and is critical for nerve function.	M: 1.2 mg, W: 1.1 mg	Not known	Pork chops, brown rice, ham, soymilk, watermelons, acorn squash	Most nutritious foods have some thiamin.
RIBOFLAVIN(vitamin B2)	Helps convert food into energy. Needed for healthy skin, hair, blood, and brain	M: 1.3 mg, W: 1.1 mg	Not known	Milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese, meats, green leafy vegetables, whole and enriched grains and cereals.	Most Americans get enough of this nutrient.
NIACIN (vitamin B3, nicotinic acid)	Helps convert food into energy. Essential for healthy skin, blood cells, brain, and nervous system	M: 16 mg, W: 14 mg	35 mg	Meat, poultry, fish, fortified and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes, peanut butter	Niacin occurs naturally in food and can also be made by your body from the amino acid tryptophan, with the help of B6.
PANTOTHENIC ACID (vitamin B5)	Helps convert food into energy. Helps make lipids (fats), neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, and hemoglobin	M: 5 mg, W: 5 mg	Not known	Wide variety of nutritious foods, including chicken, egg yolk, whole grains, broccoli, mushrooms, avocados, tomato products	Deficiency causes burning feet and other neurologic symptoms.
PYRIDOXINE (vitamin B6, pyridoxal, pyridoxine, pyridoxamine)	Aids in lowering homocysteine levels and may reduce the risk of heart diseaseHelps convert tryptophan to niacin and serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays key roles in sleep, appetite, and moods. Helps make red blood cells Influences cognitive abilities and immune function	31–50 years old: M: 1.3 mg, W: 1.3 mg; 51+ years old: M: 1.7 mg, W: 1.5 mg	100 mg	Meat, fish, poultry, legumes, tofu and other soy products, potatoes, noncitrus fruits such as bananas and watermelons	Many people don't get enough of this nutrient.
COBALAMIN (vitamin B12)	Aids in lowering homocysteine levels and may lower the risk of heart disease. Assists in making new cells and breaking down some fatty acids and amino acids. Protects nerve cells and encourages their normal growth Helps make red blood cells and DNA	M: 2.4 mcg, W: 2.4 mcg	Not known	Meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, fortified cereals, fortified soymilk	Some people, particularly older adults, are deficient in vitamin B12 because they have trouble absorbing this vitamin from food. Those on a vegan or vegetarian diet often don't get enough B12as it's mostly found in animal products. They may need to take supplements. A lack of vitamin B12can cause memory loss, dementia, and numbness in the arms and legs.
BIOTIN	Helps convert food into energy and synthesize glucose. Helps make and break down some fatty acids. Needed for healthy bones and hair	M: 30 mcg, W: 30 mcg	Not known	Many foods, including whole grains, organ meats, egg yolks, soybeans, and fish	Some is made by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. However, it's not clear how much of this the body absorbs.
ASCORBIC ACID (vitamin C)	Foods rich in vitamin C may lower the risk for some cancers, including those of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and breast. Long-term use of supplemental vitamin C may protect against cataracts. Helps make collagen, a connective tissue that knits together wounds and supports blood vessel walls. Helps make the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine Acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable molecules that can damage cells. Bolsters the immune system	M: 90 mg, W: 75 mg Smokers: Add 35 mg	2,000 mg	Fruits and fruit juices (especially citrus), potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts	Evidence that vitamin C helps reduce colds has not been convincing.
CHOLINE	Helps make and release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which aids in many nerve and brain activities. Plays a role in metabolizing and transporting fats	M: 550 mg, W: 425 mg	3,500 mg	Many foods, especially milk, eggs, liver, salmon, and peanuts	No rmally the body makes small amounts of choline. But experts don't know whether this amount is enough at certain ages.
CALCIFEROL (vitamin D)	Helps maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, which strengthen bones. Helps form teeth and bones. Supplements can reduce the number of non-spinal fractures	31–70: 15 mcg (600 IU) 71+: 20 mcg (800 IU)	50 mcg (2,000 IU)	Fortified milk or margarine, fortified cereals, fatty fish	Many people don't get enough of this nutrient. While the body uses sunlight to make vitamin D, it cannot make enough if you live in northern climates or don't spend much time in the sun.
ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL (vitamin E)	Acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable molecules that can damage cells. Protects vitamin A and certain lipids from damage. Diets rich in vitamin E may help prevent Alzheimer's disease.	M: 15 mg, W: 15 mg (15 mg equals about 22 IU from natural sources of vitamin E and 33 IU from synthetic vitamin E)	1,000 mg (nearly 1,500 IU natural vitamin E; 2,200 IU synthetic)	Wide variety of foods, including vegetable oils, salad dressings and margarines made with vegetable oils, wheat germ, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts	Vitamin E does not prevent wrinkles or slow other aging processes.
FOLIC ACID(vitamin B9, folate, folacin)	Vital for new cell creationHelps prevent brain and spine birth defects when taken early in pregnancy; should be taken regularly by all women of child-bearing age since women may not know they are pregnant in the first weeks of pregnancy. Can lower levels of homocysteine and may reduce heart disease risk May reduce risk for colon cancer. Offsets breast cancer risk among women who consume alcohol	M: 400 mcg, W: 400 mcg	1,000 mcg	Fortified grains and cereals, asparagus, okra, spinach, turnip greens, broccoli, legumes like black-eyed peas and chickpeas, orange juice, tomato juice	Many people don't get enough of this nutrient.Occasionally, folic acid masks a B12deficiency, which can lead to severe neurological complications. That's not a reason to avoid folic acid; just be sure to get enough B12.
PHYLLOQUINONE, MENADIONE (vitamin K)	Activates proteins and calcium essential to blood clotting. May help prevent hip fractures	M: 120 mcg, W: 90 mcg	Not known	Cabbage, liver, eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, sprouts, kale, collards, and other green vegetables	Intestinal bacteria make a form of vitamin K that accounts for half your requirements. If you take an anticoagulant, keep your vitamin K intake consistent.
MINERAL	BENEFITS	RECOMMENDED AMOUNT (daily RDA* or daily AI**)	UPPER LIMIT (UL) per day	GOOD FOOD SOURCES	DID YOU KNOW?
CALCIUM	Builds and protects bones and teeth. Helps with muscle contractions and relaxation, blood clotting, and nerve impulse transmission. Plays a role in hormone secretion and enzyme activation. Helps maintain healthy blood pressure	31–50: M: 1,000 mg, W: 1,000 mg 51-70: M: 1,000 mg, W: 1,200 mg, 71+: M: 1,200 mg, W: 1,200 mg	2,500 mg	Yogurt, cheese, milk, tofu, sardines, salmon, fortified juices, leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli and kale (but not spinach or Swiss chard, which have binders that lessen absorption)	Adults absorb roughly 30% of calcium ingested, but this can vary depending on the source. Diets very high in calcium may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
CHLORIDE	Balances fluids in the body. A component of stomach acid, essential to digestion	14-50: M/W: 2.3 g, 51-70 M/W: 2.0 g, 71+: M/W: 1.8 g	Not known	Salt (sodium chloride), soy sauce, processed foods	New recommendations (DRIs) for chloride are under development by the Institute of Medicine.
CHROMIUM	Enhances the activity of insulin, helps maintain normal blood glucose levels, and is needed to free energy from glucose	14–50: M: 35 mcg, 14-18: W: 24 mcg 19-50: W: 25 mcg 51+: M: 30 mcg, W: 20 mcg	Not known	Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, potatoes, some cereals, nuts, cheese	Unrefined foods such as brewer's yeast, nuts, and cheeses are the best sources of chromium, but brewer's yeast can sometimes cause bloating and nausea, so you may choose to get chromium from other food sources.
COPPER	Plays an important role in iron metabolism and immune system. Helps make red blood cells	M: 900 mcg, W: 900 mcg	10,000 mcg	Liver, shellfish, nuts, seeds, whole-grain products, beans, prunes, cocoa, black pepper	More than half of the copper in foods is absorbed.
FLUORIDE	Encourages strong bone formation. Keeps dental cavities from starting or worsening	M: 4 mg, W: 3 mg	10 mg	Water that is fluoridated, toothpaste with fluoride, marine fish, teas	Harmful to children in excessive amounts.
IODINE	Part of thyroid hormone, which helps set body temperature and influences nerve and muscle function, reproduction, and growth. Prevents goiter and a congenital thyroid disorder	M: 150 mcg, W: 150 mcg	1,100 mcg	Iodized salt, processed foods, seafood	To prevent iodine deficiencies, some countries add iodine to salt, bread, or drinking water.
IRON	Helps hemoglobin in red blood cells and myoglobin in muscle cells ferry oxygen throughout the body. Needed for chemical reactions in the body and for making amino acids, collagen, neurotransmitters, and hormones	19–50: M: 8 mg, W: 18 mg 51+: M: 8 mg, W: 8 mg	45 mg	Red meat, poultry, eggs, fruits, green vegetables, fortified bread and grain products	Many women of childbearing age don't get enough iron. Women who do not menstruate probably need the same amount of iron as men. Because iron is harder to absorb from plants, experts suggest vegetarians get twice the recommended amount (assuming the source is food).
MAGNESIUM	Needed for many chemical reactions in the body Works with calcium in muscle contraction, blood clotting, and regulation of blood pressure. Helps build bones and teeth	18+: M: 420 mg, W: 320 mg	350 mg (Note: This upper limit applies to supplements and medicines, such as laxatives, not to dietary magnesium.)	Green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, legumes, cashews, sunflower seeds and other seeds, halibut, whole-wheat bread, milk	The majority of magnesium in the body is found in bones. If your blood levels are low, your body may tap into these reserves to correct the problem.
MANGANESE	Helps form bones. Helps metabolize amino acids, cholesterol, and carbohydrates	M: 2.3 mg, W: 1.8 mg	11 mg	Fish, nuts, legumes, whole grains, tea	If you take supplements or have manganese in your drinking water, be careful not to exceed the upper limit. Those with liver damage or whose diets supply abundant manganese should be especially vigilant.
MOLYBDENUM	Part of several enzymes, one of which helps ward off a form of severe neurological damage in infants that can lead to early death	M: 45 mcg, W: 45 mcg	2,000 mcg	Legumes, nuts, grain products, milk	Molybdenum deficiencies are rare.
PHOSPHORUS	Helps build and protect bones and teeth. Part of DNA and RNA. Helps convert food into energy. Part of phospholipids, which carry lipids in blood and help shuttle nutrients into and out of cells	M: 700 mg, W: 700 mg	31–70: 4,000 mg 71+: 3,000 mg	Wide variety of foods, including milk and dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, liver, green peas, broccoli, potatoes, almonds	Certain drugs bind with phosphorus, making it unavailable and causing bone loss, weakness, and pain.
POTASSIUM	Balances fluids in the body. Helps maintain steady heartbeat and send nerve impulses. Needed for muscle contractions. A diet rich in potassium seems to lower blood pressure. Getting enough potassium from your diet may benefit bones	M: 4.7 g, W: 4.7 g	Not known	Meat, milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes	Food sources do not cause toxicity, but high-dose supplements might.
SELENIUM	Acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable molecules that can damage cells. Helps regulate thyroid hormone activity	M: 55 mcg, W: 55 mcg	400 mcg	Organ meats, seafood, walnuts, sometimes plants (depends on soil content), grain products	Researchers are investigating whether selenium may help reduce the risk of developing cancer, but with mixed results.
SODIUM	Balances fluids in the body. Helps send nerve impulses. Needed for muscle contractions. Impacts blood pressure; even modest reductions in salt consumption can lower blood pressure	M: 2,300 mg, W: 2,300 mg	Not determined	Salt, soy sauce, processed foods, vegetables	While experts recommend that people limit sodium intake to 2,300 mg, most Americans consume 4,000–6,000 mg a day.
SULFUR	Helps form bridges that shape and stabilize some protein structures. Needed for healthy hair, skin, and nails	Unknown	Unknown	Protein-rich foods, such as meats, fish, poultry, nuts, legumes	Sulfur is a component of thiamin and certain amino acids. There is no recommended amount for sulfur. Deficiencies occur only with a severe lack of protein.
ZINC	Helps form many enzymes and proteins and create new cells. Frees vitamin A from storage in the liver. Needed for immune system, taste, smell, and wound healing. When taken with certain antioxidants, zinc may delay the progression of age-related macular degeneration	M: 11 mg, W: 8 mg	40 mg	Red meat, poultry, oysters and some other seafood, fortified cereals, beans, nuts	Because vegetarians absorb less zinc, experts suggest that they get twice the recommended requirement of zinc from plant foods.