Phytic acid has gotten a lot of bad press lately. It's true that this compound, which is found in legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, can bind to minerals and reduce their absorption. But there's a lot more to the phytic acid story.
What is phytic acid?
Phytic acid (or phytate) is a natural compound found in the seeds or kernels of plants. When seeds are planted in soil (or soaked in water), the phytic acid breaks down and releases phosphorus, which helps the sprouting plant develop healthy roots.
Phytic acid (or phytate) is a natural compound found in the seeds or kernels of plants.
But if we eat those seeds instead of planting them, we may absorb less calcium, iron, copper, and zinc from the foods that we eat at the same meal. That's because phytic acid has a tendency to bind to certain minerals and block their absorption from the small intestine. This is why phytic acid is sometimes referred to as an anti-nutrient; it reduces the amount of nutrients we absorb from foods.
What foods contain phytic acid?
Dried beans, nuts, seeds, and cereal grans like wheat, barley, oats, and rice all contain phytic acid. As a rule, beans and nuts are higher in phytic acid than cereal grains. The phytic acid is concentrated in the hull of the seed, and in the case of grains, the bran. If you remove the hull, you remove most of the phytic acid, too. White rice, for example, is much lower in phytic acid than brown rice.
Should you soak beans, nuts, and grains to remove phytates?
Soaking beans, nuts, and grains in water for 12 to 24 hours (or simply cooking them) breaks down most of the phytic acid. And mineral deficiencies due to phytic acid intake are generally not a concern in developed nations. Nonetheless, a lot of health conscious people soak or sprout all of their nuts and grains (or avoid them altogether!) in an effort to reduce their intake of phytic acid and increase their absorption of minerals.
Soaking is unnecessary and could cause you to miss out on important benefits.
Not only is this probably unnecessary, but these folks could actually be missing out on important benefits. It turns out that phytic acid is an important nutrient in its own right, and may help protect you from a number of serious diseases.
Concerns about phytic acid
I mentioned that phytic from foods can block the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract. So, you might expect that eating foods high in phytic acid would weaken your bones. But people who eat lots of beans and grains do not have a higher risk of osteoporosis. If anything, higher consumption of these phytate-rich foods is linked with stronger bones.
People who eat lots of beans and grains...
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