Mineral balances of men fed a diet containing fiber in fruits and vegetables and oxalic acid in spinach for six weeks.

In an investigation of the effects of fiber and oxalic acid on weekly mineral balances, 12 men consumed two diets consisting of natural foods for 6 wk each in a crossover design. One diet contained about 25 g neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in fruits and vegetables and included 100 g spinach, which is high in oxalic acid, every other day. The second diet was a low fiber diet that contained about 5 g NDF and the same amount of spinach as the first diet. On the basis of mean values for 6 wk, balances for calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc or manganese were not significantly different due to diet. Copper balances were significantly lower when the low fiber diet was consumed than when the diet containing fiber in fruits and vegetables and consequently a higher level of copper was consumed. Mineral balances were significantly different due to week. When results of both diets were considered together, mean mineral balances decreased at some time after wk 1 and returned to the wk 1 level during wk 6. Balances for wk 1 and 6 were not significantly different for any of the six minerals. These results demonstrate the importance of determining weekly balances for several weeks when conducting a human metabolic study.