Phytic Acid In Food
Phytic-Acid-ironThere is phytic acid in food and it matters. Researchers have found that if you can reduce the phytic acid in your food, you can improve your iron absorption markedly. A 2003 study examined the change in iron absorption when phytic acid was removed from various grains. Check out the graph at right that displays the results.
You are seeing correctly. The study found that participants absorbed 1160% more iron when phytic acid was removed from wheat. Iron absorption was improved about twelve times.
Would you like to eat twelve pieces of bread (and get fat in the process) or just one? I like bread but that’s a lot of bread.
Phytic Acid In Grains
Do grains have phytic acid (phytates) and should we care?
Generally speaking, grains have high levels of phytic acid, a substance that reduces our absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. As an example, compare the milligrams of phytic acid in grains to a random collection of other foods. (This is a small sample of phytic acid levels as listed in a review article by Harland and Oberleas in a 1987 article.) See the list here: phytic acid in grains.
http://www.phyticacid.org/
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