Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1

Scientific Name: thiamin
Classification: Vitamin

Health Uses: Biological Functions, Digestion, Gastrointestinal Health, General Wellness, Heart Health, Muscle Health, Nervous System Health

Thiamin

Thiamin (or thiamine) is one of the water-soluble B vitamins, also known as vitamin B1. Thiamin is naturally present in some foods, added to some food products, and available as a dietary supplement. This vitamin plays a critical role in energy metabolism and, therefore, in the growth, development, and function of cells.

Overview of Benefits:

Thiamine is an essential nutrient that all tissues of the body need to function properly. Thiamine was the first B vitamin that scientists discovered. This is why its name carries the number 1. Like the other B vitamins, thiamine is water-soluble and helps the body turn food into energy.

Thiamine helps support many functions within the body, including the nervous system, heart, and brain. Thiamine is important for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is a molecule that transports energy within cells. It supports many functions in the body, including muscle contractions and the movement of signals from the brain.

Impacts on Health and Sources:


People at risk of deficiency

Alcohol Dependency

In highly industrialized countries, chronic alcohol use disorders appear to be the most common cause of thiamin deficiency. Up to 80% of people with chronic alcoholism develop thiamin deficiency because ethanol reduces gastrointestinal absorption of thiamin, thiamin stores in the liver, and thiamin phosphorylation. Also, people with alcoholism tend to have inadequate intakes of essential nutrients, including thiamin.

Older Adults

Up to 20%–30% of older adults have laboratory indicators that suggest some degree of thiamin deficiency. Possible reasons include low dietary intakes, a combination of chronic diseases, concomitant use of multiple medications, and low absorption of thiamin as a natural result of aging. Some small studies have found that the risk of deficiency is particularly high in elderly people who reside in an institution.

HIV/AIDS

People with HIV infection have an increased risk of thiamin deficiency and its sequelae, including beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Autopsies of 380 people with AIDS found that almost 10% had Wernicke’s encephalopathy, and some experts believe that thiamin deficiency is underdiagnosed in this population. The association between thiamin deficiency and HIV/AIDS is probably due to malnutrition as a result of the catabolic state associated with AIDS.

Diabetes

Some small studies have found that thiamin levels in plasma are up to 76% lower in people with type 1 diabetes than in healthy volunteers and 50%–75% lower in people with type 2 diabetes. Other studies have shown a higher risk of thiamin deficiency in people with type 1 and/or type 2 diabetes based on tests of erythrocyte transketolase activity. These lower thiamin levels might be due to increases in clearance of thiamin by the kidneys. The relevance of these effects to clinical prognosis or outcomes is not known.

Effects of Deficiency in Vitamin B1

In its early stage, thiamin deficiency can cause weight loss and anorexia, confusion, short-term memory loss, and other mental signs and symptoms; muscle weakness; and cardiovascular symptoms (such as an enlarged heart).

The most common effect of thiamin deficiency is beriberi, which is characterized mainly by peripheral neuropathy and wasting. People with this condition have impaired sensory, motor, and reflex functions. In rare cases, beriberi causes congestive heart failure that leads to edema in the lower limbs and, occasionally, death. Although beriberi is rare in the United States and other developed countries, people in these countries do occasionally develop the condition. Administration of supplemental thiamin, often parenterally, quickly cures beriberi.

A more common manifestation of thiamin deficiency in the United States is Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This disorder is about 8–10 times more common in people with chronic alcoholism than in the general population, but it can also develop in patients who have severe gastrointestinal disorders, rapidly progressing hematologic malignancies, drug use disorders, or AIDS. In many patients, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome has two phases. The first, acute, and life-threatening stage, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, is usually characterized by peripheral neuropathy. Without treatment, up to 20% of people with Wernicke’s encephalopathy die; those who survive develop Korsakoff’s psychosis, although some people with Korsakoff’s psychosis have not previously had Wernicke’s encephalopathy. Korsakoff’s psychosis, an effect of chronic thiamin deficiency, is associated with severe short-term memory loss, disorientation, and confabulation (confusion between real and imagined memories). At this chronic state of the disorder, parenteral thiamin treatment does not lead to recovery in about one-quarter of patients.

Sources of Vitamin B1 and Recommended Intake

The following table details the recommended intake of Vitamin B1:

Proteins:

  • Pork
  • Nuts
  • Eggs
  • Trout
  • Black Beans

Fruits and Vegetables:

  • Cauliflower
  • Oranges
  • Potatoes
  • Asparagus
  • Kale

Grains:

  • Cereal Germ
  • Whole Grains
  • Pulses
  • Fortified Cereals

Supplements and other vitamin compounds or multivitamins can take up the slack if you do not eat enough in the other areas.

Benefits of Vitamin B1:

Vitamin B1 helps in preventing developments of certain conditions that have been known to arise when proper intake of thiamin is not sufficient.

Some of these complications include:

  • Nervous System Disorders
  • Brain, Cognition, and Memory Deterioration
  • Muscle Deterioration
  • Heart and Cardiovascular Complications
  • Stomach and Gastrointestinal Issues
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