Does phytic acid affect nutrients that are already in the body, or just nutrients that are in phytic acid containing food?
I have been through loads of pubmed articles and have found nothing to answer my question. I snack on lot’s of nuts, which contain phytic acid
Affect in what way? That’s a very vague question.
I meant it terms of it binding to minerals, making them insoluble.
Apologies for the vague opening post.
Phytate does appear to affect iron and zinc bioavailability, but is primarily a concern in populations where a staple food is high in phytate, such as whole-grain wheat flour. For example,in poor populations of India, chapatti is 90% of the diet so micro-nutrient malabsorption is a real issue. I think its safe to say that this is not an issue if you snack on nuts but eat an otherwise normal diet.
To answer your original question, though, nutrient malabsorption is when nutrients in the food are not absorbed through the digestive track. Nutrient depletion is when nutrients already in the body are made unavailable. Phytate is involved in the first, not the second.
So, It will not affect my bodies mineral stores? What about foods eaten at the same meal as phytic acid containing foods?
thanks
No. As I said, phytate is only an issue in properly taking in nutrients. If the phytate is present in your digestive tract at the same time as the iron or zinc (whether they were in the same food or in the same meal), your body won’t absorb the minerals at the same rate as a person that had the same food except for the phytate. The iron and zinc already in use or stored in your body is safe.
Okay, thanks.
How long before or after a meal can I consume phytic acid foods, without it affecting the content’s of the previous meal?
Thanks
Sorry if this is poorly worded.
A better strategy might be neutralizing the phytates. You can do this by soaking the nuts/seeds in a mild acid solution (cover with water and add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar) at room temp for 7+ hours. Of course, then you have to dry them out - cookie sheets in the oven works well.
Beans and most whole grains are also very high in phytates. This is part of why I choose not to eat them much. Soaking works for them as well though, and as a bonus you don’t usually have to dry them after.
It’s good you’re aware of this, most people have never heard of the concept. The minerals that phytates bind to are some of the most important for bone and tooth health, and are also some that are already too low in modern diets.
Thanks. I am led to believe that phytic acid has some benefits though. Hence, If I can eat them safely at a separate time in the day, I would like to try.
Most plant foods contain some amount of phytates - there’s almost no way to avoid getting moderate amounts. It’s just when you eat a lot of whole plant foods (beans, nuts, grains), especially with every meal, that it can be a problem. Vegetarians/vegans who eat healthy should be particularly aware.
I am a vegetarian and I eat lots of nuts and seeds. This is why I want to know how long I need to space apart eating normal meals and phytate foods.
Before you start worrying, you could always get a blood test to find out if your diet is actually affecting your levels of iron and zinc. Unless 90% of your diet is high-phytate foods, you probably aren’t being affected by this phenomenon.
Okay, thanks.
You should be able to google the digestion time of nuts, etc. IIRC few foods take longer than 6 hours to move through your stomach and small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed.
Blood tests are always fun. No, I’m serious! I love data. 
However when I was having a lot of health issues, blood tests showed no deficiencies in any vitamin, mineral, or hormone (not even vitamin D, amazingly since most Americans are deficient). However when I changed my diet (partially by eliminating most foods high in phytates, also by adding a shit ton of animal products) and began taking a zinc supplement, the bad acne I had for 10 years was gone in a matter of weeks, among many other positive health changes. So I feel that despite not having any deficiencies according to the test, since I was eating a reasonable diet after all, my nutrition was not adequate…
Really? Phytic acid is a potent inhibitor of zinc absorption, and some suggest that zinc deficiency is becoming a global epidemic:
See post #5
This article may be of interest:
As to the specific concern about zinc. The linked article states that a particularly large concern is that zinc deficiency could contribute to prostate cancer. Yet studies in vegetarians, who have higher than typical phytate consumption, show
Many of those are high phytic acid foods.
Phytic acid also seems to be partly responsible for the colon cancer prevention properties of high fiber/high phytate foods.