When taking a hard look at nutrient absorption, it can be very confusing as vitamins and minerals are actually quite complex. As discussed in the Boosting Iron during Pregnancy post, some nutrients act as helpers of iron absorption while others hinder. These symbiotic relationships are abundant in the natural world, and although seemingly counterproductive they are indeed as Mother Nature intended.
A new study from the
Cereals do provide a good source of nutrients needed for a baby’s healthy development, but are also a significant source of antinutrients or chemicals naturally found in foods that block the absorption of vital nutrients like calcium, iron, and zinc. Phytates are the main antinutrient found in cereal grains which
often bind to trace minerals rendering them non-absorbable. Why on earth would nature do that? Because phytates can also remove the stuff we don’t want from soil or hard water, as well as inactivate trace-mental contaminates all while being a powerful antioxidant.
Researchers dephytinized (removed the phytates) from three popular infant cereals in an attempt to discover if the process improved nutrient absorption. Both dephytinized and non-dephytinized cereals were “digested″ in a test tube simulating the stomach conditions of a 6 month old infant. Transport, uptake, and mineral cell retention were measured via Caco-2 cell lines. The Caco-2 cell lines are widely used in test tube studies as they are predictors of absorption rate and they serve as a model of human’s intestinal barriers.
The study found that dephytinization of infant cereals did improve the bioavailability of iron and zinc when the cereals were reconstituted with water. Removing the phytates also increased cell uptake, transport, and retentions of all three minerals. The study had a secondary discovery; that Caco-2 lines were useful for mineral absorption studies, which could prove useful not only for nutritional scientists but also for food manufacturers and consumers.
Tags: iron deficiency
