What's your ferritin level?

What Manal believes for food iron, I believe too. This is what I have always been thinking: food iron is nothing compared to the iron we get from blood transfusions. We have stopped caring for food iron absorption in Greece and eat everything no matter the iron it contains. If you chelate regularly, food iron is not an issue.


Lena.

In my opinion, iron from diet in negligible compared to that gained from transfusion (which is already taken care of through chelators). So you better give her body all the nutrients it needs to grow properly.

Also being transfused..... i.e having a high HB eliminates absorption of iron in the gut. In addition you can always give her tea with the meals

manal

I REALLY HATE sayigns that dont eat this and dont eat that cuz it contains a lot of iron ....1st of all being a lahori (resident of lahore,pakistan) as v r traditionally known to love food , i eat all those desi(local) dishes. come on man dont deprive urself from that delicious food.

2nd i wud go with manal .... u dont realy absorb that much iron from food .. and u dont eat high iron diet everyday .. wut u need is iron chlation and if u r to conxccerned about it then have no less than 6 cups of tea everyday ...

just dont b overconcerned bout iron and neglect all other essential nutrients u need ... u need all of em for health . Make sure u have a good diet

From http://www.thalassemia.com/documents/thalhandbook2008.final.pdf

For nontransfused thalassemia patients, folate supplementation
(1 mg daily) is recommended, and consuming
a moderately low-iron diet is encouraged—that is, avoiding
iron-fortified cereals and other products and excessive
consumption of red meat. Drinking black tea with
meals is recommended to reduce iron absorption from
food.
For transfused patients on chelation therapy, a low-iron
diet is unnecessary and may decrease the quality of life
for some patients. The amount of iron obtained from
just one unit of packed red cells (200 mg) far outweighs
the amount of iron obtained from a 3-ounce steak (5
mg).

Some notes about this. First, if you are not transfused, iron can be absorbed at extremely high rates, so untransfused intermedias should definitely be on a low iron diet. It isn't just how much iron is in the food. It's more about the rate of absorption in the gut, so low hemoglobin level patients do need to watch their iron intake, especially from red meat. Secondly, patients who transfuse but allow the Hb to drop below optimum levels (below 9-9.5) should also watch their iron intake because once the Hb drops below 10, the gut will increase its iron absorption rate.

Of course, we are only talking about the amount of iron in foods, especially the easiest absoirbed iron that is found in red meats, but there are other health factors to consider and consumption of large amounts of red meat is tied to many other health problems, including cardiac disease, so please try to maintain a good balanced diet and don't feel that iron is the only problem with eating large amounts of red meat. Moderation in all things.

In my opinion, iron from diet in negligible compared to that gained from transfusion (which is already taken care of through chelators). So you better give her body all the nutrients it needs to grow properly.

manal

I agree Manal, I remember posting this message three years ago but didn't get much response. We are learning more and getting out of 'old wives tales' regarding thalassemia.

I agree Manal, I remember posting this message three years ago but didn't get much response. We are learning more and getting out of 'old wives tales' regarding thalassemia.

I agree as well, even my Dr. said the amount of iron you get from food is nothing compared to transfusions. I eat what I want but in a healthy manner the only thing I stay away from is raw fish which is hard to do because I love sushi but its not good for ppl with Liver Problems that coming from my Hematoligist.

I don't know of this starts on what I said - I havent look back in the discussion - but I do believe that I benefit from a low iron diet. I know it seems to be different by thalassemia patients, but PK deficiency patients seems to have primary iron overload (hemochromatose) too. I always try to avoid products with a forfied (wrong spelling, I know) iron percentage of 4. It is also a principal of taking so much natural products as possible - though I am sometimes craving for something unhealthy LOL.
As for the natural high iron foods, I don't believe in the spinach dream.
Ofcourse I know that Exjade likes all iron, but I rather keep the input so low as possible.

So what I try to say, make the decision based on your genes, opinions and feelings.

I have to agree with Dore. I think most people can benefit from a low iron diet. The modern diet that is loaded with meat has been implicated in many health problems, and iron specifically has been implicated in many health issues from diabetes to cancer, so it does make sense to try to limit the iron intake. Metals are needed by the body in small amounts but every metal is dangerous when too much is consumed.

I am so proud of this forum. Where you can find a healthy debate on thalassemia but on this forum. Our doctor phrased it like this for us in 2003. Don't worry about iron diet and give her whatever she wants, not that it means she can have a steak everyday.

The point is moderation is the best policy. Even a healthy person with daily intake of high iron diet will have health issues. So I say, we all stand correct in our own way.

The message I am getting is 'Moderation' guys, whether you are thal or non-thal.

CF,

That is exactly it. Moderation. A good example is vitamin D. We've talked a lot about using megadoses of vitamin D to correct deficiency, but we also need to be aware that megadoses should be a temporary adjustment. No one should need ongoing megadoses of D. Once the correction has been made, a return to normal dosing is well advised.

Learn to listen to your body. It can be a good guide towards proper nutrition if you pay attention.

I agree with all above said. Perhaps I am not concerned about food iron intake, as I am not a meat-eater. I do not eat red meat -  once every two weeks more or less. That's why I don't care about iron intake. But generally speaking, we have dropped this case in Greece. Of course, I'll go for what Andy said about moderation in all aspects of life.

Lena.

See, it depends all on lifestyle. I think we are one step forward the rest because we realize that we need to take extra care for our bodies.

you people already has said  alot n i think nothing more has left to to say but  to you all at every word that u has said ...

 Umair,

 It's so nice to read you again!

 
 Lena.

Lena,
Thanx Lena , ...

Umair

And up to 700+
I take it bravely again and it hits me at day 4. V nausea...
[today is gonna be a nice day though]