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Iron in baby foods

Posted By: Anonymous

Iron in baby foods - 02/22/07 08:20 PM

My vet just called me with the histopath results for Rocket and I found it rather interesting. There were 3 things found: cystic gallbladder (insignificant in most species), bile duct adenomas, and the one they believe killed him, hemochromatosis. Apparently, hemochromatosis, also called iron storage disease, has been previously documented in sugar gliders and captive exotic birds and is the result of too much iron in the diet. She gave me the name of a guy who has been doing some research with this, Jeff Pie (?) and he has found that the main culprit is iron supplemented baby foods. One can purchase bird food that's low in iron, but I know a lot of us feed baby foods to our guys, both the rice cereal that's part of the BML mix, and jarred varieties for licky treats. Has anyone ever heard of this or done any research on this?

Michelle
Posted By: Xglider

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/22/07 08:32 PM

So are they suggesting that it is the dry baby cereal? Or the jarred components of BML that is being suggested?

I have not heard of this before.
Posted By: Bourbon

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/22/07 08:37 PM

this is one of the reasons we went back to the back to basics, thus removing the variety and the flexibilities of the veggies and fruits, there is many things that could increase these risks..
exchanging the corn and peas, because people are concerned with the phosphorus levels, with other veggies like kale, spinach broccoli, etc.. veggies that have higher iron contents and also with the fruits, using and feeding fruits that are high in vit c a few examples are kiwi, sweet potatoes, tomatoes etc. these fruits actually increase the iron absorption. I had a list on a previous thread of foods to avoid due to this reason. That is why we went back to the back to basics, because it did remove that flexibility, the various licky treats have been changed to include only things such as applesauce, bml, and yogurt .

with that being said..

hemochromatosis is actually a inheritable disease that is passed down in generations, there is iron in the baby food, and the cereal but there is iron in a lot of things,

this has been something I have been looking into for several years. the best that we can do is first try to see if it is the BML itself, or if it is the changes that are being made in the diets.

here is a link about it in humans, that may help shed some light on this disease

hemochroromatosis

this is one of those things that much needed research needs to be done in, and dr geoff Pye is one of the ones working on it.

But just as everything else, the variables need to be removed first, and that for us is the removal of the added excess items that have the extra iron in that most people do not consider.

there will be people who take this post and without checking it out totally will run with it, but the truth is there is still so much we don't know and so much more we have to learn.
Posted By: Xglider

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/22/07 08:47 PM

Thank you for posting Bourbon.. that even strengthens my resolve to stay … Back to Basics…
Posted By: Bourbon

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/22/07 08:55 PM

Also I need to also add that while helping some people who also have had this, by putting them on a stricter diet, and staying back to basics that it actually has improved their problems.

Dr Pye has the scales and the norms for the serum values, as should your vet, if she/he doesn't i will let you know how to see he gets them, but the testing on their serum levels, and their urine values, should give a good indication as to the norms, through the testing and prepping and throughout the years, these values all have been within the limits and standards. fact is some gliders have a problem with the iron absorption and we can't always identify them till something does happen. then it is a matter of tracing their offspring, heritage etc.. to try to find out who is high risk.

This is something I have suggested for everyone to do, if they are unsure as to if there is too much in the diet..

but I also suggest and cannot stress this enough, to stick with the back to basics and not veer from it.

if your vet needs other vets who have worked with this, i can give you some contact info.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/25/07 08:59 PM

I'm so sorry for your loss. But it is good that we are now learning more... Thank you so much for sharing.

And thanks everyone else who is inputting into this..

heart

Posted By: jannee66

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/25/07 09:44 PM

I hope I don't sound stupid, but exactly what is "back to basics?"
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/25/07 09:51 PM

Back to basics is just what they are calling the original mixing of BML.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/26/07 04:58 PM

Too much iron is a problem w/animals, birds, and humans. Many processed foods have iron added and we are learning, for all species, that we can consume too much. Iron can also enter food from cooking acid based foods in cast iron pots. Too much iron is especially an issue for older humans, soft-billed birds and non-breeding animals.

For those who do not feed bml, avoiding processed or enriched foods or just reading labels is a good start. Almost all standard breakfast cereals and items made from white flour in the US are "enriched". Read labels if you feed people food to animals. Iron does not need to be supplemented if you feed a variety of fresh veggies.

Gliders have evolved to extract maximum nutrition from low nutrient, high fiber plant matter such as eucalyptus and acacia.
Posted By: Bourbon

Re: Iron in baby foods - 02/26/07 05:24 PM

Thank you Jungleflock mom, also to add to yours, again heed the need for the back to basics,

IF you are feeding another diets, watch the foods that are also high in iron, and those foods that help the body absorb more iron

this is not just a problem with the baby foods, this is a problem that is across the board on all diets.
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