ABSTRACT
PHYTIC acid (PA, InsP6), is found in cereals, legumes, nuts and oilseeds, con-stitutes up to 1-5% of the weight of cereals or oilseeds and serves as the chief storage form of phosphorus [1-4]. PA has long been considered an antinutrient [5], mainly due to its ability to bind with many divalent cations, proteins and starch and to consequently reduce their bioavailability [4,6-8]. This binding ability is attributed to PA’s highly negatively charged phosphorylated structure. To combat PA’s antinutritive effects, particularly in nutritionally compromised populations, many ways of removing it from foods have been suggested [9-11]. However, it has also been suggested by many studies that consumption of PA may convey some beneficial health effects [12-17]. This chapter will discuss in vitro and in vivo studies on the effect of PA on the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases and some of its mechanisms of action.
