Discussion Forums > Diet, Nutrition and Supplements
Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation in Thalassemia
namitha:
Hi,
Is it an established fact that thal is linked to cancer propensity? Now this is really scary!!! God, as if our glasses are not yet full! Please someone tell me more about this. I am really scared :wah
Scared,
Namitha
§ãJ¡Ð ساجد:
What?!?!?
Thal. - A cancer!!!
I don't think so because the definition of Cancer is : "malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream"
O.K the last two words can cause confusion, but I think that we don't have such cells that are so poisonous that they are lethal. Transfusions suppresses the manufacture of the faulty cells of our Bone marrow and everything is set as long as we provide alternate "Working ones".
Take care, Peace!
Eponine:
--- Quote from: namitha on October 25, 2006, 10:55:05 AM ---Hi,
Is it an established fact that thal is linked to cancer propensity? Now this is really scary!!! God, as if our glasses are not yet full! Please someone tell me more about this. I am really scared :wah
Scared,
Namitha
--- End quote ---
Hmm... not sure if this is true but this is my take on this claim.
Being a thal means there's lots of free iron (non transferrin bound iron which is unstable) in the body (its a whole long technical explanation on this). This iron goes through a process which produces free radicals. Free radicals harms the body and are cancer causing. Therefore, Vitamin A, C and E which are anti oxidants are important for the body for any other person, what more for thals.
This is also the reason why chelation is so important. It removes the excess iron and the free radicals.
Andy Battaglia:
The importance of magnesium supplementation in thalassemia should not be overlooked. Many thals take large doses of calcium but don't give a thought to magnesium, which the body needs along with calcium for many reasons, including controlling the heartbeat. It has also been found that cellular dehydration that takes place in thalassemics, can be countered by a high magnesium diet and that magnesium has a positive effect on anemia.
http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/full/90/3/1283
--- Quote ---...beta thal mice that were fed the low-Mg diet became more anemic, had reduced serum and erythrocyte Mg, and had decreased erythrocyte K. Their K-Cl cotransport increased, followed by commensurate cell dehydration...high-Mg group showed a significant improvement of the anemia, increased serum and erythrocyte Mg, increased erythrocyte Mg, increased erythrocyte K, reduced K-Cl cotransport, and diminished cell dehydration...These results indicate that dietary Mg supplementation corrects hypomagnesemia and improves anemia in murine beta thal and should be assessed in human beta -thalassemia.
--- End quote ---
The ratio of calcium to magnesium and why it is important is discussed at
http://www.enerex.ca/articles/calcium_to_magnesium_ratio.htm
Lisa's doctor put her on a combination of calcium and magnesium because she was having heart palpitations. These two minerals control and regulate the heart beat.
--- Quote ---REGULATION OF HEART BEAT
The heart is a muscle and its primary function is to pump blood throughout the body. The heart is composed of billions of cells, each of which works as an electrochemical generator, and contains both calcium and magnesium. On the outer surface of the heart cells, thin fibers made of a substance called "actin", continually expand and contract in unison with the heartbeat. The actin fibers are stimulated by calcium, and then relaxed by magnesium. An electrical charge produced by magnesium then pushes the calcium to the opposite side of the cell. Thus, calcium helps to produce the heartbeat, and magnesium regulates it.
--- End quote ---
The suggested ratio of calcium to magnesium has been put at 2:1 but this article suggests that since magnesium is not efficiently absorbed, that a higher ratio of magnesium may be necessary.
--- Quote ---The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for calcium is 800 mg/day, whereas for magnesium it is 400 to 450 mg/day. Only about one-third of magnesium is absorbed from dietary sources. Therefore, a daily magnesium intake of 1200 mg/day has been recommended by some researchers (22). The traditional ratio of approximately 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium needs to be upgraded to increase magnesium intake in view of the overwhelming beneficial role of magnesium. The ideal ratio for most people's needs is an equal ratio of calcium and magnesium.
The absorption and metabolism of calcium and magnesium is one of mutual dependence, and therefore, the balance between these two minerals is especially important. If calcium consumption is high, magnesium intake needs to be high also.
--- End quote ---
Zaini:
Andy,
I want to talk about zainab's supplementation in a bit detail,currently i am giving her ABOCAL half tablet daily, by "ABBOT LABORATORIES" .A full tablet contains calcium carbonate 670 mg,equivalent to 268 mg of elemental calcium, Vitamin D 400 I.U, Vitamin C 500 mg, Vitamin B6 10 mg . I am giving her half tablet daily (prescribed by her hemo),so all values would be divided in half.And she is taking another multi vitamin called VIDAYLIN ,again by ABBOT LABORATORIES, It says that each 5 ml teaspoonful contains Vitamin A U.S.P 0.9 mg (3000 units) ,Vitamin D U.S.P 10 mcg (400 units), Vitamin B1 U.S.P 1.5 mg, Vitamin B2 U.S.P 1.2 mg, Vitamin B6 U.S.P 1.0 mg, Vitamin B12 U.S.P 3.0 mcg, Vitamin C U.S.P 50 mg, Nicotinamide U.S.P 10 mg.
I know it's a lot of details and i am sorry to bother you with this, but doctors don't want to go in that much details,and i don't want any point to be left,and also that i am worried about her magnesium and zinc supplementation,there is another version of VIDAYLIN called VIDAYLIN-M which contains all the minerals like magnesium and zinc but it also contains iron,so obviously it's not suitable for her,when i asked my physician to name me any supplement with magnesium and zinc but not iron, she asked me to force zainab to eat green vegetables,but zainab really doesn't like vege,what should i do? and though she is taking calcium but since she started IP6 she is complaining of pain in heels (below ankles) on daily basis, is this due to the calcium chelated by IP6? or anything else?
She went for transfusion today and her pre-transfusion hb was 9.8 after four weeks of last transfusion,and the thing that's bothering me is that her S.F increased,in july it was 1327,and in sept it's 1750, she is taking ferriprox and IP6,though last month we had to cut desferal due to unavailability.
Waitning for your reply.
ZAINI.
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