Foods with phytates and how to take advantage of them to improve health

Phytic acid is found in many plant foods.such as legumes (especially soybeans), cereals (especially bran) and some nuts, usually forming salts called phytates.

Phytates are considered antinutrientsnot only because they are not absorbable, but because they prevent the absorption of other nutrients.

On one side, to assimilate phytates you have to be able to break them down before (in phosphorus and myo-inositol), and that makes it phytase enzymewhich we produce in small quantity.

On the other hand, phytates may reduce the assimilation of some minerals by binding to calcium, iron or zinc forming insoluble compounds. But that only happens when large amounts are ingested of phytates, which is not frequent.

To reduce the phytate content of foods such as legumes, you have to let them soak and cook.

Like other nutrients, however, phytates have beneficial health properties. Studies indicate that they prevent colon cancer, reduce the formation of kidney stones, and detoxify the body due to their ability to bind heavy metals.

Foods with phytates

Phytates are present in cereals, legumes and nuts, especially if eaten raw. Among legumes, the soy It is the richest in these compounds.

In cereals they are found mainly in the bran more than in the soluble fiber. If you want to consume phytates, the easiest supplement to take is the wheat or oat bran.

The foods richer in phytates, are the following (content per 100 g of food).

Wheat bran: 5% Flaxseeds: 2 to 3% Gluten 1.9% Tofu 1.5 to 3% Rice bran: 1.5% Brown rice 1.4% Soy 1.2 to 2.2% Soy dehydrated 1.01%Oats 1 to 2.5%Peanuts 1 to 2%Dried beans: 1 to 1.5%Muesli 1%Wheat germ 1%Turnips 0.8%Corn (flour) 0.7 to 2.2%Lupins 0, 7 to 1.7% Chickpeas 0.6% Oats (bran) 0.6 to 1.5% Corn (sweet) 0.6 to 1% Rye 0.5 to 1.5% Peas 0.5 to 0.7% Lentils 0.5% Wheat 0.4 to 1.3% Whole wheat bread 0.4 to 1.05% Barley: 0.4 to 1% Bread 0.3 to 0.6% White rice 0.1 to 0.6%

Why does the phytate content of a food vary?

The phytate content of a food is relative, since cooking can eliminate them.

Legumes lose them if they are soaked for a whole night and then they are boiled over a very low heat.

Cereals and legumes too reduce their phytate content if they are germinatedsince they become vegetables, low in phytates.

How to better assimilate phytates?

The microorganisms used in fermentation and preparation of many foods produce phytases and improve the digestibility of the cereal or legume they ferment.

The clearest example is that of wholemeal breadwhich when made with synthetic yeasts has a large amount of phytates, but fermented with natural mother yeast it is more digestible and contains more bioavailable phosphorus. Also the microorganisms of the alcoholic fermentation produce phytases that can transmit to the processed liquid, as occurs with the mexican pulque.The beer yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), consumed as a dietary supplement, also helps to break down phytates in food. Leuconostoc mesenteroidesmain responsible from fermented cabbagemakes it improve the digestibility of its phytates. Lactobacillus and bifidobacteriumemployees in the dairy fermentationwhich lack phytates, are also good producers of phytases, thus improving the absorption of carbohydrates, which are rich in phytates.

What role do they play in the body?

They are a great reservoir of phosphorus, although in general little assimilable by the organism, since the enzyme that breaks them down into phosphorus and myo-inositol is produced in low quantity in our body.

The beneficial function of phytates on health is associated with that of Dietary fiberto which they are closely linked.

Can they be harmful?

phytates They are not toxic or mutagenic (degenerative of cells), so its excessive consumption does not cause serious alterations.

They do reduce the absorption of some minerals, but we must take into account the action of yeasts, fungi and the human stomach itself, which release phytases to break them down.

How do they work with minerals?

They bind many of them into insoluble compounds. When they do so with heavy metals such as cadmium or lead, they exert a remarkable detox ability of the organism. But when they do it with iron, calcium or zinc, may favor some deficiency.

Phytates to prevent kidney stones?

It has been observed a 37% reduction in kidney stone formation, especially calcium oxalate, when switching to a diet richer in phytates. It seems that the action is due to his chelating powerbut also because they inhibit the formation of oxalate salts directly over the kidney.

What kind of cancer can they help ward off?

The studies carried out indicate that pespecially prevent colon cancer, since it is precisely in the intestine where the phytates are located.

As they are not absorbable, their beneficial effects on other types of cancer derive from a general antioxidant actionalthough it is not as proven as in other nutrients.

Do we consume enough phytates? What is the recommended daily amount?

There is no daily recommendation for the consumption of phytatessince its antioxidant action, for example, can be easily replaced with other foods.

The recommendations for the consumption of phytates are linked to those for the consumption of dietary fiber, which is deficient in the diet of developed societies.