Wednesday, 23 April 2014

Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation in Thalassemia




I am often asked what supplements should patients be taking. I would like to remind everyone that I am not a professional, but that over the past thirty years I have done much research into health and nutrition on my own and in recent years have and continue to research specifically what is recommended for thals.

These are basic recommendations for adults. Keep in mind that lower doses are most often recommended for children.

I have included links to some of our previous discussions about supplements.

Vitamin E  400 iu.  Natural source preferred. d-alpha tocopherol (not dl-alpha). If possible, use mixed tocopherols. (Vitamin E is a blood thinner, which is a good thing for most people. However, if you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin or coumadin, tell your doctor you are taking vitamin E as your dosage of the blood thinning drug may need to be adjusted downward).

Folic Acid 1000-10,000 mcg (micrograms). 1000 = 1 mg This is recommended for all thal patients.

B-Complex. The B vitamins help protect the body against stress and are important for many basic functions. B vitamins are water soluble and do not last long in the body. It is important to replace them on a regular (daily) basis. Adequate amounts of vitamin B-12 are essential. B-12, as all B vitamins is water soluble and amounts ranging from 100-1500 mcg daily are advised.

Calcium  1000-1500 mg plus 500-1000 mg magnesium plus Vitamin D 1000-5000 iu ( all work together to maintain bone growth and heart function). Calcium taken alone is inadequate and can also lead to problems affecting the heart. It must be balanced with magnesium, as they work together in the heart beat, and an imbalance can lead to heart palpitations. Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium.

See   http://groups.msn.com/ThalassemiaPatientsandFriends/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=1&ID_Message=967

http://groups.msn.com/ThalassemiaPatientsandFriends/locatethalcare.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=1127&LastModified=4675469592205296093&all_topics=1

Zinc 15-50 mg

Vitamin C 100-250 mg taken with desferal (helps more iron to be excreted). Do NOT take more than 250 mg daily if thal. Too much iron can be freed into the bloodstream where it can cause clumping in the heart, causing lowered heart function. Vitamin C has not been studied with other chelators so it's combination effect is not known. Do we have any members on kelfer or ferriprox who can tell us their own experience using Vitamin C?

IP6 (phytic acid) is a natural iron chelator and a member of the B family. IP6 is a powerful antioxidant, and patients using it have showed both some reduction in ferritin levels and also improvements in general health.

Iron should not be used by thallasemics as it can lead to iron overload.

A previous discussion of what group members use is at
http://groups.msn.com/ThalassemiaPatientsandFriends/locatethalcare.msnwaction=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=872&LastModified=4675459014025746004&all_topics=1

Please feel free to share what supplements you are taking. There may be other things that you find essential.
In addition to basic supplements, many members are also using wheatgrass in juice, pill or extract form and some are also using other nutritional supplements that do seem to give them more energy. I would like to encourage all members to share their experiences and tell us what has worked for them. This is so important. People need to know what they can do to better the quality of their lives. 
from : http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php/topic,118.msg578.html#msg578

Menarik yer perbincangan mereka....

No comments: