Removing phytic acid from cereal porridges made with water improves how much iron the body absorbs from these meals, with absorption rates increasing significantly in both wheat and maize porridges.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Phytic acid in cereals binds to iron and stops it from being absorbed. When this compound is broken down, the iron is freed up and can be taken in by the gut, allowing much more of it to enter the bloodstream.
Most probable mechanism
When phytic acid in cereal porridge is broken down, it stops trapping iron, allowing the iron to be taken up by the gut lining and enter the bloodstream.
Phytic acid in cereal porridge binds tightly to dietary iron, forming insoluble complexes that cannot be absorbed by the intestinal lining.
Enzymatic degradation of phytic acid breaks these complexes, releasing free iron ions into the intestinal lumen.
Free iron ions are reduced to their ferrous form by enzymes on the surface of intestinal cells, enabling transport into the cells via a specific iron transporter.
Once inside the intestinal cells, iron is moved into the bloodstream through another transporter, increasing the amount of iron available for use by the body.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Degradation of phytic acid in cereal porridges improves iron absorption by human subjects.
Contradicting (0)
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Gold Standard Evidence Needed
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