 Health authorities from all over the world universally recommend increasing consumption of whole grains and legumes— beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils— for health promotion. But what about the phytates? Phytate is a naturally occurring compound found in all plant seeds. So botanically, that means all beans, grains, nuts, and seeds. Over the decades, phytate has been badly maligned as a mineral absorption inhibitor. That's why, for example, you hear advice to roast, sprout, or soak your nuts to get rid of phytates so we can absorb more minerals like calcium. The concern about phytates and bone health arose from a series of laboratory experiments performed on puppies published in 1949, suggesting high phytate diets have a bone softening and anti-calcifying effect. Subsequent studies on rats, in which they fed them the equivalent of 10 loaves of bread a day, confirmed phytate status as a so-called anti-nutrient. But more recently, in light of actual human data, phytate's image has undergone a makeover. If you put people on a high phytate diet and measured their calcium balance, their bodies appeared to become accustomed to the extra phytate over time, and it all worked out. But this study was done on only three people. So I was glad to see this study published, which asked the simple question, do people who avoid high phytate foods, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, have better bone mineral density? No, in fact quite the opposite. Those that consume more high phytate foods had stronger bones, as measured in the heel, spine, and hip. The researchers conclude that dietary phytate consumption had protective effects against osteoporosis, and that low phytate consumption may instead be considered an osteoporosis risk factor. This is consistent with reports that phytate can inhibit the dissolving of bones similar to anti-osteoporosis drugs like Fosomax. A follow-up study found the same thing— improved bone density in those that consume the most phytates. But this is the most convincing study today— actually measuring phytate levels flowing through women's bodies and following their bone mass over time. And women with the highest phytate levels had the lowest levels of bone loss— in their spine, in their hip. And so no surprise that those that ate the most phytates were estimated to have significantly lower risk of major fracture and lower risk of hip fracture, specifically. This is thought to be in part because phytates help block the formation of bone-eating cells in their bone-eating activity. You can see how much more bone is eaten away in the non-phytate group on the left. Now the drug Fosomax can have a similar beneficial effect, but phytates don't have the side effects associated with this class of bisphosphonate drugs— side effects like osteonecrosis. There's a rare side effect associated with this class of drugs called osteonecrosis of the jaw. And the whole reason people take these drugs is to protect their bones, but by doing so may also risk rotting them away.