A reduced phytate diet does not reduce endogenous fecal zinc in children on a habitual high-phytate diet.

Ten Malawian children, ages 3 to 5 years, at risk for zinc deficiency and receiving a habitual maize-based high-phytate diet, received maize after phytate reduction for 40 days and had their endogenous fecal zinc (EFZ) measured using stable isotope techniques before and after phytate reduction. The phytate:Zn of the diet before reduction was 23.0 and afterward was 7.6. EFZ was similar before and after dietary phytate reduction, 1.15 ± 0.33 and 1.17 ± 0.16 mg/day, respectively. EFZ was not affected by dietary phytate in this population.