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Phytates, particularly in such raw foods as bran, are a concern because they can bind a portion of the iron, zinc, and calcium in foods, making the minerals unavailable for absorption. Although these foods have a high phosphate content, the phosphate in phytates is not released by digestion. When bread is leavened by yeast, enzymes degrade phytic acid and phytates pose no problem. Enzymes, called phytases, destroy phytates during certain food processes such as: the yeast-raising of dough, the sprouting of seeds, grains, legumes, the roasting of nuts, presoaking beans, cooking, fermentation as in tempeh, miso, and natto, combining acidic foods with zinc-rich foods, etc.
Not everyone believes that phytates are a bad thing. Stephen Holt, MD, a gastroenterologist and author of The Soy Revolution: The Food of the Next Millennium (M. Phytates act as an antioxidant. Phytates are also known to help prevent cancer by enhancing the immune system. Fiber, along with its associated phytates, also provides benefits by regulating the absorption of glucose from starch.
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