For many years, phytates were maligned as inhibitors of mineral absorption, which is why you might have heard advice to roast, sprout, or soak your nuts to get rid of the phytates. In theory, this would allow you to absorb more minerals, such as calcium. This belief stemmed from a series of laboratory experiments on puppies from 1949 that suggested that phytates had a bone-softening, anti-calcifying effect,38 as well as from subsequent studies with similar findings on rats.39 But more recently, in light of actual human data, phytates’ image has undergone a complete makeover.40 Those who eat
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