Hi Mishra and welcome to the group,
A quick search finds plenty of articles about inositol hexaphosphate, or IP6, and the iron chelating properties are often mentioned. It has been mentioned as a possible weapon against cancer because it inhibits iron in tumors. It has been studied and there is some evidence that it does bind iron. To what extent and whether this could be useful to thals, I don't know, but inositol hexaphosphate is a very safe supplement, even in high doses, if anyone wants to try it out. I saw it for sale online in the US at rather low prices and I cannot think of a single reason why anyone shouldn't try it and see if it has any effect in lowering iron in their bodies.
From
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1134551We conclude that the 1,2,3 (equatorial-axial-equatorial) phosphate grouping in InsP6 has a conformation that uniquely provides a specific interaction with iron to inhibit totally its ability to catalyse hydroxyl radical formation; we suggest that a physiological function of InsP6 might be to act as a 'safe' binding site for iron during its transport through the cytosol or cellular organelles.
To understand what that means in thal, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9668540&dopt=AbstractIn thalassemia, iron overload is the joint outcome of excessive iron absorption and transfusional siderosis. While iron absorption is limited by a physiologic ceiling of about 3 mg/d, plasma iron turnover in thalassemia may be 10 to 15 times normal, caused by the wasteful, ineffective erythropoiesis of an enormously expanded erythroid marrow. This outpouring of catabolic iron exceeds the iron-binding capacity of transferrin and appears in plasma as non-transferrin-plasma iron (NTPI). The toxicity of NTPI is much higher than of transferrin-iron as judged by its ability to promote hydroxyl radical formation resulting in peroxidative damage to membrane lipids and proteins. In the heart, this results in impaired function of the mitochrondrial respiratory chain and abnormal energy metabolism manifested clinically in fatal hemosiderotic cardiomyopathy.
When you put all of this together, what it means is if this does work as observed, inositol hexaphosphate would help prevent the most serious damage caused to organs by iron. The question I have is how effective is it? Can it chelate a significant amount of iron? This a an inexpensive, easily found supplement made from grain and it is perfectly safe. I'd say it wouldn't hurt to try.