A heat- and acid-stable phytate in cereal grains, nuts and seeds, especially abundant in sesame seeds and soybeans. Although a high-fiber diet is thought to protect against some cancers, the argument has been advanced that phytic acid, not fiber, may provide the protection. It appears to slow the formation of cancer in lab and animal studies. It also may help control blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.
Chemically it is called inositol hexo-phosphoric acid. It is present mostly in the husk or pericarp of cereals. Has strong cheating effect on bivalent metal ions calcium, iron and zinc which when combined with it form insoluble salts that render these mineral nutrients unavailable to the body.
An organic acid which is bound to phosphorus. Naturally present in the bran of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. When grains have not been soaked, fermented, sprouted or naturally leavened, the phytic acid combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestines, blocking their absorption. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm water is enough to naturalize most of the phytic acid in grains. Soaking beans overnight, changing the water several times and soaking some more before cooking will ensure that no intestinal gas forms. I like to soak my beans in several changes of water over a couple of days, until the beans begin to almost sprout. Interestingly enough, cultures which eat a lot of beans have one of the highest rates of gallbladder disease. Perhaps soaking the beans long enough to cause sprouting would help deter the incidence of gallbladder disease
inositol hexaphosphate, an ubiquitous compound found in the plant kingdom that is rich in grains, cereals and legumes; phytic acid from rice bran is used as an additive in foods and medicines.
is an antioxidant abundant in cereal grains and legumes that inhibits iron absorption. New research shows that phytic acid and phytates – which are found in whole grains – may have powerful anti-cancer effects.