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Die richtige Ernährung kann Deine Gesundheit unterstützen

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A balanced diet is important for everybody

If you eat a balanced diet, your body will get the nutrients it needs and your health will benefit.1 People with beta thalassaemia have to take extra things into account. Fundamentally, babies, children, adolescents and adults all have different nutritional needs during their respective stages of life, so there is no such thing as just one right diet.

Your doctor or nutritionist can give you tailored advice on your individual diet. However, there are also general things that you can take into account when planning your diet. Eating healthily is excellent in all cases. Make sure to bear in mind, though, that your treatment and medicines were tailored to your condition before you changed your eating habits, and that they may therefore need to be adjusted. Your treatment team will be happy to discuss this with you.

Enjoy your food

Eating healthy and delicious food isn't time-consuming or complicated. Eating is about more than just health – it's about enjoyment, fun and time with your loved ones, whether family or friends2 There are many different foods that supply you with important nutrients. Take the time to try out different foods and find out what tastes good to you!

Nutrients you need

Below, you will find some tips on what you should preferably be eating and what you should ideally consume in moderation as a beta thalassaemia patient. In general, diet has only a small influence on beta thalassaemia. It is therefore often more sensible to make sure you eat a balanced diet – though this applies to everybody else as well! The specific requirements of beta thalassaemia can be addressed with nutrient tablets, i.e. food supplements.

Eisenpräparat-Infusion

Iron: In beta thalassaemia, more iron builds up in the body due to the condition itself or due to blood transfusions.3 The amount of iron regularly supplied to the body through transfusions is so high in beta thalassaemia major patients that the intake of iron from food accounts for only a very small proportion by comparison. For this reason, the advice to eat a low-iron diet is aimed mainly at patients with beta thalassaemia intermedia, who need fewer to almost no transfusions depending on the severity of their condition but whose iron intake from food is increased by their condition.3. The best thing to do is to talk to your treatment team if you are not sure whether you should follow a low-iron diet. Foods that contain iron include red meat, fish, leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts, and oats.4 It is important to find the right balance of iron in the diet. Your treatment team can give you advice that is tailored to you.

Knochen

Calcium: Patients with beta thalassaemia can have calcium and vitamin D prescribed in the form of tablets5, as these are important for healthy bones and muscles. This can prevent osteoporosis, the development of which beta thalassaemia encourages. In osteoporosis, the bones lose mass and can become unstable and break more easily. This is why a good calcium supply is so important. Calcium can also be taken in through the diet, e.g. in milk and cheese (including lactose-free versions).6 Plant-based alternatives enriched with calcium are available for vegans and people with food intolerances.6

Fragezeichen

Other important nutrients: Your doctor may prescribe food supplements for you. These are nutrients of which your body stores should always be at a certain level. Normally, you take in enough of these nutrients in your diet. However, one of the side effects of your medicines can be the loss of some of these nutrients. As well as calcium and vitamin D, this can include zinc, vitamin E, vitamin C, L-carnitine, and folic acid.5

Both alcohol consumption and smoking can increase your risk of complications such as osteoporosis, and can worsen the problems caused by iron overload in the body. Alcohol in combination with the iron overload that is typical of beta thalassaemia can have very harmful effects on the liver.3 You should therefore avoid alcohol as much as possible.

Nutritional advice for
beta thalassaemia

Sometimes, eating properly can require a little time. If you are often in a hurry, you might buy or eat foods that can be prepared quickly but are not very healthy. However, as a general rule, as long as you don't overdo it, fast food is completely fine – as it is for everybody else. It's all about balance. Eating properly can have a big influence on the health of beta thalassaemia patients and healthy individuals alike.

Draw up a diet plan with your treatment team that takes into account your own preferences, and seek expert advice where possible. You can receive tailored recommendations from a nutritionist. There's little use in you cobbling together a diet plan yourself that goes beyond your needs. If your doctor does write you a prescription for nutritional advice, you can ask your nutritionist about this – they are experts and will know what is right for you.

Aisha, Betroffene mit Beta-Thalassämie major, im Gespräch mit Naziha

Aisha, a patient with beta thalassaemia major, from the United Kingdom

What role does nutrition play in beta-thalassaemia?

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    1. Cena H, Calder PC. Defining a healthy diet: evidence for the role of contemporary dietary patterns in health and disease. Nutrients. 2020; 12: 334.
    2. Bédard A, et al. Can eating pleasure be a lever for healthy eating? A systematic scoping review of eating pleasure and its links with dietary behaviors and health. PLoS One. 2020; 15(12): e0244292.
    3. Galanello R, Origa R. Beta-thalassemia. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2010; 5:11.
    4. Iron: foods, functions, how much do you need & more. European Food Information Council (EUFIC). https://www.eufic.org/en/vitamins-and-minerals/article/iron-foods-functions-how-much-do-you-need-and-more. Last accessed: 01.10.2024
    5. Farmakis D, et al. 2021 Thalassaemia International Federation Guidelines for the Management of Transfusion-dependent Thalassemia. Hemasphere. 2022; 29; 6(8): e732.
    6. Calcium: foods, functions, how much do you need & more. European Food Information Council (EUFIC). https://www.eufic.org/en/vitamins-and-minerals/article/calcium-foods-functions-how-much-do-you-need-more. Last accessed: 01.10.2024