zinc and hep c viral replication

   Zinc supplementation has the ability to iterfere with viral replication. Also,   about 200-400 mcg. of selenium  acts as  viral birth control.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17032412&query_hl=45&itool=pubmed_docsum

[St. George]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17242315&query_hl=51&itool=pubmed_docsum

[nygirl7]

Great that is two of the vitamins I've been taking. At least I guessed right! :)

[friole]

You know Califia mentioned the benefits of Zinc so I went to the healthfood store during tx to buy some, but there were so many kinds of zinc I never did take any.  It is supposed to help the absorption of interferon, as I recall

[copyman]

a good multi vitamin will have both of these in it.

[Kalio1]

St.Hope you are doing well, thanks for those links!


Friole

How are you? You bring up such a good point. When it comes to things of this nature, how do we know which one is correct? How do we know how much to take per day? I too have had this problem, a shelf of product and no idea which one is the right one! I hope you are hanging in there.

HR is busy now, but his input on this subject would be invaluable. When he returns I hope to get his comments on this and his input on the mechanism and value.

[Myown]

Yes I have read this also.thanks for the articles.
Even tho I take zinc, my level was low when I had a vitamin level test prior to dx. After finding out I had hep and looking at the vitamins that my body was depleted of or low, it made me wonder if this was so becasue the body was drawing the zinc and other virus fighting vitamins in an attempt to rid the virus. I believe this was the case. Also just recently read that acidophilus helps your body to produce interferon. I was depleted of that also,,even tho I take it faithfully.Again I believe it was being used up in an attempt to fight the hep. Vitamins can be depleted from your body rather quickly (it seems) if your body is fighting a virus.

[nygirl7]

Copyman said "a good multi vitamin will have both of these in it."


But - it is very difficult to find a "good multi vitamin" that does NOT have tons of Iron in it and we simply cannot take iron at all.

That is why many of us take separate vitaminns - I could not finally found a vitamin without iron (mens multi) but it had A & K and my doc said don't take extra of either of them so I didn't get it.

[jmjm530]

With risk at being laughed at by the vitasupplement naz*s :) I take Centrum Silver. It's a good all-purpose multi without Iron and has 15mg of Zinc. It was I believe part of a list recommended by either the big shot liverhead in Miami or Boston, forgot which. Available in most drug stores.

--Jim

[Kalio1]

You are right a multi will have them however, how much? That is the issue. Often the ingredient is in there but in an insignificant amount. Finding that "enough but not to much" level is the problem. In going over this issue with HR, often though the product claims to contain certain substances, it isn't enough to matter or help, or vica versa, it is too much and our bodies just through off excess so it's a waste of money. This is why it becomes important that we know the specifics and know the correct dosages to take to benefit us.

NY   Centrum Silver has all the good stuff and no iron, that's the multi I take. Plus it's cheap.

Hope this finds you both having a good day.

[antman]

i had someone here at work recommend Cenrum silver too. the NP said it's not a bad idea to take a multi vitamin. after looking at the ingredients Centrum silver looks like the ticket. i'm gonna grab a bottle this weekend. thanks for the tip guys.

[ladybug52]

One more centrum silver taker standing up to be counted. I just really don't care for the "silver" added to the name. Centrum senior, no, centrum geriatric, no, centrum adult? Maybe.

[GoofyDad]

Jim asked me about a supplement regime and I forgot to respond. Jim - I got a passed along email that is apparently what Califia takes - possibly developed with input from HR. I carried tye paper copy into my doc, and he had nothing negative to say. Some stuff he really liked, 'Resevatrol' (sp) being one. Others he said he just could comment on, and some he seemed to know but didn't seem too excited about. In general I walked out thining it was a pretty good list - but wow the doses are high!

Anyway, I should defer to others like Kalio or Forsee who dabble in this stuff much deeper than I.

On zinc, I want to add that my doc did a post tx zinc test (months after) as one of his ideas for my continued fogginess - which seems to continue to slowly improve. My zinc levels we perfectly normal.      

[mikesimon]

I love that Centrum Silver - it works well and tastes great too. Seriously, I have been taking that for 6 years with approval form all my doctors. What more does a man need? Mike

[Cindy10]

I too take Centrum Silver and a B-Complex on advise of Dr.

[motheroffour]

My H's doc recommended Centrum Silver also.  Although if a person did not have excess iron in the liver when the bx was done, I wonder why one would avoid iron.  It seems like with the marginal hemoglobin that iron would help the anemia? I've often wondered about that, the docs never really talked to my H about avoiding iron supplementation of the amount that would be in a daily vitamin pill.

[jmjm530]

Do you mind posting the email here or probably better in the thread above. You might also add the "$$$" signs. From your last post, couldn't imagine what would cost so much.


-- Jim

[Kalio1]

Virtually all of the things I take (or plan to take after tx) have been discussed extensively with HR first.
His understanding of microbiology and his incredible ability to explain very complicated mechanisms in our body, proper dosages, why the various supplements have value, etc. is the ONLY reason I take them.
True I have spent 100's of hours studying these things on my own, but without his input I wouldn't have a clue.

The reason I take them with confidence is all due to his incredibly generous sharing of his vast knowledge and understanding of how our livers ( and our immune systems) work at the microbiologic level, the level where everything happens. He is still learning all the time and adding to that vast bank of knowledge.

The understanding and thinking regarding the mechanisms of these supplements truly is cutting edge science.
The day will come in the future when these things will become standard of care, utilizing supplemental therapies along with "traditional" medical approaches I believe. The wonderful thing is these things are available to us NOW.
Unfortunately I do not have time to wait on this info trickling down to the average doc and becoming part of the SOC for people with damaged livers. I feel I am ahead on the learning curve thanks to HR's generosity of spirit and knowledge and his williness to share his vast bastion of knowledge with us all.

It sounds ridiculously glowing when I say these things, but he truly deserves the compliment because his sharing of knowledge can extend and even save our lives. The fact that he shares it for the sole purpose of helping those of us with this disease and with no renumeration is even more admirable.

PS. Califia's "list" is sure making the rounds! Kudos to her too for all her hard work and research in this area.
Her list is HR approved!

[Forseegood]

sometimes our own bodies can be the best monitoring systems for some of these supps, particulary minerals...long time ago, I tried taking extra amounts of zinc, and I had a bad reaction to it (I mean, not bad per se, but I could tell something wasn't right) well, I go take a hair and skin mineral analysis, low and behold I've got plenty to too much of zinc already...

then, I tried taking some (I'm talking about taking it on it's own in a supp, some of the powders I take have a little in there, and that's been okay for me) recently, and the same thing happened, so I'm still zinc okay I guess....I'd do some analyses of some of these things for a baseline...just thought I'd throw that out there, a little supplementation with zinc is okay, even if you register as having enough, but too much isn't good...I think most people are a little defiecient in some of these things too, the soil is not what it used to be, etc etc...

just my take after having gone to many vitamin specialists, Integrative Specialists, nutritionists, homeopaths, you name it, I've tried it or I've talked to them, squeezed, scraped, poked and pulled, that's me! (goof, behave yourself...hehe)

[nygirl7]

I should have noted I have problems with some B vitamins on a personal level. Make me extremely nauseaus - so it was just IMPOSSIBLE on treatment to take unless I was able to eat a large meal to absorb it afterwards.

Now...that I'm not on treatment and  I just seem to have gotten taste buds back - I want to eat EVERYTHING. My God this had better NOT last! ;)

[GoofyDad]

I don't see any reason not to post it. The interested parties will no doubt see this thread and if there's any problem they can let me know. It'll take me a day to dig it up anyway.

[Forseegood]

hey, if it works for you, and you feel good about it, why change horses in mid-river, or stream, or you know what I mean! he he...hope youre well...

[Kalio1]

Here is the list of supplements that have been discussed with HR for those who are interested.

Special thanks should go out to Califia and HR for the list.
The antifibrotic regimen for those out there with substantial liver damage is listed at the end.

*I also take Green Defense and protein powder daily and a multi vitamin.

Post-Tx Supplement Recommendations  

For glutathione boosting:

2 gms NAC  (N Acetyl Cysteine)
2 gms ALC  (Acetyl-L-Carnitine)
1 gm Taurine