Inositol Hexaphosphate

IP6 · Phytic acid · Phytate

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Chemotherapy-related symptoms¹ Quality of life in breast cancer¹ Adjunct to cancer therapy² Postmenopausal bone loss³ Fracture risk⁴ Tooth stain (toothpaste)^{5, 6}	Anticoagulant or antiplatelet use⁷ Pregnancy or lactation⁸

Inositol hexaphosphate, also called phytic acid or phytate, is a carbohydrate present in cereals, grains, and legumes and in mammalian cells, where it carries messenger roles⁷. Its strong binding of minerals and metals drives most supplementation. Combined with myo-inositol, it has been used by breast cancer patients during adjuvant chemotherapy for local symptoms and quality of life¹. It is also used for general cancer support on the strength of animal data, and it has been studied for bone loss after menopause.

Human cancer evidence is early: a systematic review found anti-neoplastic effects only in animal studies, and the chemotherapy-adjunct comparison was a small randomized study. Memorial Sloan Kettering states that larger studies are needed to confirm benefit for chemotherapy side effects⁷. In a 2025 prospective cohort of middle-aged and older adults, higher dietary phytate intake was associated with lower fracture risk; no trial has tested supplementation for this outcome. More than 2,700 products list inositol hexaphosphate, mostly as capsules and powders; see Form comparison.

The reason behind the most consequential caution is mineral binding: in a human meal study, phytate reduced zinc absorption and calcium retention, each in a dose-dependent way⁹. Memorial Sloan Kettering also lists anticoagulants and antiplatelets as an interaction because of antiplatelet activity, with clinical relevance unknown⁷.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

44 sources, 29 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources