Goodphyte · U.S. military readiness

Readiness through absorption: the evidence behind every claim

U.S. service members eat enough. They absorb too little of it, and veterans carry the fatigue home. Goodphyte frees the iron, zinc, magnesium and copper that grains, corn, soy and legumes lock away, from the food already on the tray.

A reference for medical, nutrition and human-performance advisors to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The readiness problem: active duty

37%of surveyed service members sleep the recommended seven hours1
33%feel fatigued at least three to four times a week1
13.4% → 32.8%Army women with iron deficiency, at entry vs. after basic combat training3
8%of Army tactical vehicle accidents, FY2010 to 2019, involved fatigue or lost sleep2

Veterans carry it home

Fatigue, poor sleep and low mood do not end at discharge. They are among the heaviest burdens the Department of Veterans Affairs carries.

175,000 to 210,000of the nearly 700,000 Gulf War veterans live with Gulf War illness; unexplained fatigue, cognitive difficulty and widespread pain are core symptoms20
16×chronic fatigue syndrome in deployed vs. nondeployed Gulf War veterans, 1.6% vs. 0.1%, ten years on21
Insomniabefore a first deployment predicted new PTSD, depression and anxiety after it, in 15,204 service members22
$1.5 billionin VA disability claims for sleep apnea in 2013 alone1

Phytic acid: minerals locked in the seed

Phytic acid: a myo-inositol ring whose six phosphate groups grip iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, calcium and amino acids
Phytic acid: six phosphate arms gripping iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, calcium and amino acids. Phytase cuts the arms and hands the minerals back.

Plants use phytic acid to concentrate phosphorus and minerals in their seeds, a store the seed unlocks with its own phytase when it germinates and grows.6 We get those minerals only if phytase breaks phytic acid down, and the human gut makes too little to do it.6 So grains, corn, soy and legumes, the backbone of garrison and field meals, deliver less than they contain: phytic acid holds on to their iron, zinc, magnesium and copper, and binds the same minerals from the rest of the meal. Western diets deliver 0.3 to 2.6 g of it a day.6 At whole-meal bread levels, phytic acid cut magnesium absorption from 32.5% to 13.0%.7

Phytase is the answer animal nutrition found decades ago. Poultry and pig producers add the enzyme to feed to release the minerals phytic acid holds.8 People almost never get it. Goodphyte is phytase in a capsule taken with meals. In human trials, added phytase raised iron and zinc bioavailability in 9 of 11 studies.9 At higher “superdose” intakes it strips phytic acid further and frees more minerals and inositol.10,11

Four readiness pillars, one enzyme

01 · Fatigue & energy

Copper completes ATP production at cytochrome c oxidase, the last step of the mitochondrial chain.14 ATP then works only as Mg-ATP: magnesium is a cofactor in over 600 enzyme reactions, including every step that spends ATP.15 In our pilot, fatigue scores fell 24% in 14 days.17

02 · Oxygen & endurance

Copper runs ceruloplasmin and hephaestin, the ferroxidase enzymes that ready iron to leave cells and load onto transferrin for hemoglobin.12,13 In a double-blind trial in basic combat training, iron made recruits who arrived anemic faster on the 2-mile run.4

03 · Mood & focus

The same trial found iron improved vigor on the Profile of Mood States.4 Our pilot recorded a 6.3% rise in the psychological domain of the WHO quality-of-life scale.17

04 · Sleep & recovery

Magnesium improved sleep efficiency, time to fall asleep and insomnia scores in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.16 Sleep is a readiness issue with a long tail: insomnia before deployment predicted PTSD, depression and anxiety after it.22

What the evidence shows

FindingPrimary sourceEvidence
Phytic acid cuts mineral absorption. At whole-meal bread levels, magnesium absorption fell from 32.5% to 13.0%.Bohn 20047Human, controlled
Western diets deliver 0.3 to 2.6 g of phytic acid a day.Schlemmer 20096Human, dietary survey review
Added phytase raised iron and zinc bioavailability in 9 of 11 human trials; dephytinized food in 11 of 14.Chondrou 20249Human, review of 42 trials
20 to 320 phytase units per 100 g of flour significantly improved iron absorption.Troesch 20138Human, review of isotope studies
2,000 units of phytase broke down 93.6% of phytic acid (72.8% at 500), raised blood inositol and improved growth.Lu 201910Animal (pigs)
Each phytase step up to 4,000 units raised magnesium digestibility and inositol release.Lagos 202211Animal (pigs)
Copper-based ferroxidase activity is required to export iron for transferrin loading.De Domenico 2007; Vulpe 199912,13Mechanism
Cytochrome c oxidase carries two catalytic copper centres; copper deficiency cripples it.Horn 202114Mechanism
Kinases, ATPases and cyclases all depend on Mg-ATP.de Baaij 201515Mechanism, human physiology
Iron in basic combat training preserved iron status, improved vigor, and sped the 2-mile in recruits who arrived anemic.McClung 20094Human RCT, soldiers
34%, 44% and 37% of Navy SEAL trainees ate below the recommended magnesium, zinc and copper.Singh 19895Human, military
Chronic fatigue syndrome was 16 times more common in deployed than nondeployed Gulf War veterans (1.6% vs. 0.1%).Eisen 200521Human, VA cohort
Insomnia symptoms before deployment predicted new-onset PTSD, depression and anxiety after it.Gehrman 201322Human, Millennium Cohort
500 mg magnesium a day for 8 weeks improved sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency and insomnia severity.Abbasi 201216Human RCT
After 14 days of Goodphyte: fatigue down 24%, psychological wellbeing up 6.3%, physical wellbeing up 8.6% (all p < 0.001).University of Thessaly, NCT0738002217Our pilot, open-label

Our human data

The University of Thessaly ran the first registered human pilot of Goodphyte (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07380022). 88 adults with chronic conditions completed 14 days at 3,200 FTU a day and were measured at day 22.17

24%less fatigue
+6.3%psychological wellbeing
+8.6%physical wellbeing
98%adherence
Chalder Fatigue Scale and WHOQOL-BREF, all p < 0.001. Fatigue fell in four of five diagnosis groups. Open-label, both arms on Goodphyte, no placebo. No adverse events reported; liver function stable. Fecal calprotectin rose in the Crohn’s group and is under follow-up. Full data available to qualified advisors under confidentiality.

Built for service

Uses the food already issued

No ration change. Capsules with meals, light and shelf-stable.

NSF Certified for Sport

Goodphyte Iron+ carries NSF Certified for Sport, one of the third-party seals Operation Supplement Safety tells service members to look for.18 Search “GoodPhyte” at nsfsport.com.

Fits VA Whole Health

Whole Health treats food and drink, sleep (“Recharge”) and the power of the mind as parts of care.19 Our pilot ran in adults living with chronic conditions, the population VA serves.

Talk to our scientists

Full pilot data and the science behind every figure on this page are available to medical, nutrition and human-performance advisors: amy@accessnutrients.org.

Voices from the field

Individual experiences, shared voluntarily.

“Goodphyte has extended what my high-end aerobic pace is. It’s bumped it down probably 15 seconds a mile for me.”

Anthony Kunkel · USATF 50-Mile & 100K National Champion

“Goodphyte is such a great tool to enable you to be ready every day, to put in the work. It’s enabling you to absorb the nutrients in the healthy whole foods you already eat.”

Rebecca Schmitt · elite marathoner · 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier

References

  1. Troxel WM, Shih RA, Pedersen ER, et al. Sleep in the Military: Promoting Healthy Sleep Among U.S. Servicemembers. RAND Corporation, RR-739; 2015.
  2. U.S. Government Accountability Office. Military Readiness: Comprehensive Approach Needed to Address Service Member Fatigue and Manage Related Efforts. GAO-24-105917; 2024.
  3. McClung JP, Marchitelli LJ, Friedl KE, Young AJ. Prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia among three populations of female military personnel in the US Army. J Am Coll Nutr. 2006;25(1):64-69. doi:10.1080/07315724.2006.10719516
  4. McClung JP, Karl JP, Cable SJ, et al. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of iron supplementation in female soldiers during military training: effects on iron status, physical performance, and mood. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(1):124-131. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27774
  5. Singh A, Day BA, DeBolt JE, et al. Magnesium, zinc, and copper status of US Navy SEAL trainees. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989;49(4):695-700. doi:10.1093/ajcn/49.4.695
  6. Schlemmer U, Frølich W, Prieto RM, Grases F. Phytate in foods and significance for humans: food sources, intake, processing, bioavailability, protective role and analysis. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2009;53(Suppl 2):S330-S375. doi:10.1002/mnfr.200900099
  7. Bohn T, Davidsson L, Walczyk T, Hurrell RF. Phytic acid added to white-wheat bread inhibits fractional apparent magnesium absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(3):418-423. doi:10.1093/ajcn/79.3.418
  8. Troesch B, Jing H, Laillou A, Fowler A. Absorption studies show that phytase from Aspergillus niger significantly increases iron and zinc bioavailability from phytate-rich foods. Food Nutr Bull. 2013;34(2 Suppl):S90-S101. doi:10.1177/15648265130342S111
  9. Chondrou T, Adamidi N, Lygouras D, Hirota SA, Androutsos O, Svolos V. Dietary phytic acid, dephytinization, and phytase supplementation alter trace element bioavailability: a narrative review of human interventions. Nutrients. 2024;16(23):4069. doi:10.3390/nu16234069
  10. Lu H, Kühn I, Bedford MR, et al. Effect of phytase on intestinal phytate breakdown, plasma inositol concentrations, and glucose transporter type 4 abundance in muscle membranes of weanling pigs. J Anim Sci. 2019;97:3907-3919. doi:10.1093/jas/skz234
  11. Lagos LV, Bedford MR, Stein HH. Apparent digestibility of energy and nutrients and efficiency of microbial phytase is influenced by body weight of pigs. J Anim Sci. 2022;100(10):skac269. doi:10.1093/jas/skac269
  12. De Domenico I, McVey Ward D, Bonaccorsi di Patti MC, et al. Ferroxidase activity is required for the stability of cell surface ferroportin in cells expressing GPI-ceruloplasmin. EMBO J. 2007;26(12):2823-2831. doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7601735
  13. Vulpe CD, Kuo YM, Murphy TL, et al. Hephaestin, a ceruloplasmin homologue implicated in intestinal iron transport, is defective in the sla mouse. Nat Genet. 1999;21(2):195-199. doi:10.1038/5979
  14. Horn N, Wittung-Stafshede P. ATP7A-regulated enzyme metalation and trafficking in the Menkes disease puzzle. Biomedicines. 2021;9(4):391. doi:10.3390/biomedicines9040391
  15. de Baaij JHF, Hoenderop JGJ, Bindels RJM. Magnesium in man: implications for health and disease. Physiol Rev. 2015;95(1):1-46. doi:10.1152/physrev.00012.2014
  16. Abbasi B, Kimiagar M, Sadeghniiat K, et al. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Res Med Sci. 2012;17(12):1161-1169.
  17. University of Thessaly (Svolos V, investigator). Acceptability, adherence, and impact on the bioavailability of iron and zinc of the dietary supplements Goodphyte IB Defense and Goodphyte Immunity in adults with chronic diseases. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07380022. Results analysis 2026, data on file.
  18. Operation Supplement Safety (Uniformed Services University, CHAMP). Why is third-party certification important for dietary supplements? opss.org. NSF Certified for Sport listing: GoodPhyte Iron+, nsfsport.com.
  19. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Whole Health. va.gov/wholehealth.
  20. Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans: Scientific Findings and Recommendations. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 2008.
  21. Eisen SA, Kang HK, Murphy FM, et al. Gulf War veterans' health: medical evaluation of a U.S. cohort. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142(11):881-890. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-142-11-200506070-00005
  22. Gehrman P, Seelig AD, Jacobson IG, et al. Predeployment sleep duration and insomnia symptoms as risk factors for new-onset mental health disorders following military deployment. Sleep. 2013;36(7):1009-1018. doi:10.5665/sleep.2798

For the full data or to talk with our scientists: Amy Puzey, CEO and Founder · amy@accessnutrients.org

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Goodphyte is a dietary supplement and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Testimonials are individual experiences and are not a guarantee of results.

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