Hi all,

I've looked through the archives and couldn't find the answer to my
question, so I thought I'd post it here.

I know that grains contain phytates which bind various minerals and make
them unavailable to the body. (This, as I understand it, is a separate
issue from that of the foreign proteins in grains.) Here's my question,
which relates to both humans and dogs :-):

If a someone is consuming a high-grain diet and also is taking supplements
(which includes minerals), what happens to the supplemented minerals? The
same question applies to dogs: if dogs eat commercial food, which can be 50
- 60% carbohydrates from grains, and that food has a lot of extra minerals
added, what happens to the extra minerals? Are any of them available? Is
there a limit to the phytates' ability to bind minerals, so that if one
takes enough "extra" then one can be assured of still getting enough
calcium, iron, etc.? IOW, is it possible to supplement grains with enough
extra minerals to compensate for the actions of the phytates?

A related question: What happens to these unavailable minerals bound by
phytates? Do they pass harmlessly out of the body, or do they cause
problems of their own (such as kidney problems or urinary stones)?

The reason I ask is because I'm trying to convince a relative that grains
aren't great no matter how many "extra" minerals are consumed. Same with
some stubborn kibble feeders :-) But then I realized I don't really know
for sure :-)

Any journal articles or references would also be appreciated. Thanks in
advance.


Kathy
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