Background: Phytate as sodium salt has been used at high doses to treat stone-former patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria. The experimental and clinical hypocalciuric effects of dietary fiber have also been assigned to the presence of phytate as calcium-magnesium salt (phytin). As a consequence of the additional interest in phytate due to its capacity as crystallization inhibitor, now a study of the effects of potassium phytate on urinary calcium excretion is presented and compared with the effects caused by other phytate salts. Methods: To study the effect of calcium-magnesium phytate, 36 Wistar rats (6 groups) were fed with a purified diet in which phytate was practically absent (4068.02 Reference Diet). Three groups were fed with increasing calcium amounts and with the same amount of phytin, each one corresponding to one control group. To study the effects of magnesium-potassium, sodium and potassium phytate salts, 48 Wistar rats (8 groups) were fed with UAR-A04 diet (a standard diet which contains 0.8% of phytin). Two control groups fed with low and high calcium amounts and 6 treated groups were formed. The effect of the dose of potassium phytate on urinary calcium was carried out using 2 additional groups of 6 Wistar rats each one fed with UAR-A04 diet and increasing amounts of potassium phytate. Results: No significant changes in urinary calcium were observed when phytin (calcium-magnesium phytate) was supplied. The urinary calcium was clearly reduced by the three phytate salts assayed (magnesium-potassium, sodium, potassium), but the most significant decrease was noticed when the potassium phytate salt was administered. Phytate administration, independently of the salt or dose used, did not significantly affect the urinary oxalate. Conclusion: It can be clearly deduced that the effects of phytate on the urinary parameters, mainly calcium, fundamentally depend on the type of salt used. Thus, the most remarkable effects on urinary calcium reduction were caused by the potassium salt. Obviously, these findings must be confirmed in human studies.

Keywords:
Potassium phytate, Sodium phytate, Magnesium-potassium phytate, Calcium-magnesium phytate, Urinary calcium
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel
2004
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.