4 Great Natural Iron Chelators for Thalassemia and Iron Overload

Natural Iron Chelators For Iron Overload

Being a Thalassemia Major, I have always been on the lookout for natural iron chelators to reduce Ferritin. Growing up, the only option I had was Desferal (DFX), but I would get a fever and a rash the next day. So I could never comply.

The past 20 years have been good for Thalassemics as we now have drugs like Deferiprone (DFP) and Deferasirox (DFO). There are oral drugs that have greatly improved compliance in Thalassemics who could not comply with Desferal. The quality and quantity of life for Thalassemia Major patients have greatly improved due to these, and Thalassemia is no longer considered a children’s disease as it used to be.

Other than medicines, I have always been interested in natural sources of iron chelation. I wrote this article to list some of the best natural chelators for iron overload.

Don’t forget to check out my article on How to Reduce Iron Levels with Food & Diet. It will help you out if you are trying to reduce your iron and ferritin levels.

Read more about Thalassemia Major in this article: Thalassemia Major: The Complete Guide

Curcumin: A Natural Iron Chelator in Turmeric

Curcumin is a naturally occurring chemical found in Turmeric and is responsible for its yellow color.

Research has shown Curcumin to be a highly effective iron chelator in different studies (read this article on turmeric for iron chelation). Other than that, it is also an excellent anti-inflammatory, which is great for thalassemia patients with joint pains from iron overload.

Adding Turmeric to your diet can be beneficial due to its potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and free radical scavenging properties (Wiley Study on Curcumin). Talk to your hematologist about it and see how you can benefit from it.

I have been taking it in a supplement form that includes turmeric and black pepper to increase the absorption of turmeric. It’s called Turmeric Curcumin with BioPerine & Ginger 95% Curcuminoids 1950mg.

You can find it on Amazon or at your local nutrition store.

IP6: A Natural Iron Chelator in Grains and Seeds

IP-6, also known as Phytic Acid, is a naturally occurring component in grains, legumes, and seeds.

It is a natural antioxidant and has even shown iron chelation properties. It is also commonly labeled as an anti-nutrient as it hinders the absorption of minerals like calcium, copper, zinc, and iron from the diet. This exact property of IP6 is exactly what is helpful for Thalassemia Major patients (NCBI Study on IP6).

I use Nature’s Way Cell Forté IP-6 & Inositol, and you can easily find it on Amazon or at your local nutrition store.

You can read a detailed article about IP6 for Iron Chelation over here. It explains everything you need to know.

Tea: Inhibiting Iron Absorption Naturally

Tea is my favorite item on this list. I have grown to love tea, and even now, I write this article while I have a cup of tea.

It has become essential for me after every meal, as it hinders the absorption of dietary iron. Even though I can’t quantify the results for myself, studies have shown that tea has tannins and oxalates, which inhibit the absorption of iron.

So I would recommend you add tea to your diet after every meal to inhibit iron absorption. Doesn’t matter if it’s green tea, black tea, chai tea, or coffee. Just make sure you are supplementing zinc, calcium, and other minerals, which will also be chelated by tea.

Alternatively, you can add Green Tea Extract to your diet as well. If you want a good product, I recommend going for Puritan’s Pride Green Tea Extract.

Quercetin: A Flavonoid for Iron Chelation

Quercetin is a flavonoid (plant chemical) found in fruits and vegetables.

Many studies have shown its iron-chelating properties (ScienceDirect on Quercetin). It is found in onions, apples, honey (read this article on how to buy pure honey), raspberries, red grapes, cherries, citrus fruits, and green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and cabbage.

You can also find it in supplement form on Amazon or from any nutrition store. I would recommend Jarrow’s Formula Quercetin 500 mg (affiliate link) as they maintain their quality standards, and are a trusted name. I haven’t used their Quercetin yet, but it is already on my shopping list for next month.

Conclusion

The focus of most Thalassemia Major patients is iron chelation therapy and we have some excellent drugs for that, like Desferal, Exjade, and Deferiprone. However, many natural sources of food serve as iron chelators, and we, as patients, can greatly benefit from consuming them daily and incorporating them into our daily diet.

So if you have iron overload due to any reason, you can greatly benefit from adding these foods and supplements to your daily diet. They are not only for iron overload from thalassemia or hemochromatosis. They can be used by anyone as they are natural and quite safe.

These foods not only help chelate iron but also strengthen the immune system and have high antioxidant activity, which helps reduce the oxidative stress that our bodies go through due to multiple transfusions.

Must Read: Supplements and Vitamins for Thalassemia Major. It lists all the supplements and vitamins I use.

I would recommend that you speak to your doctor about these natural iron chelators and start reducing your iron overload.

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