Vitamin B1
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Vitamin B1, also called thiamine, is one of eight water-soluble B vitamins. All B vitamins help the body to convert carbohydrates into glucose (sugar), which is “burned” to produce energy. These B vitamins, often referred to as B complex vitamins, are essential in the breakdown of fats and protein. B complex vitamins also play an important role in maintaining muscle tone along the wall of the digestive tract and promoting the health of the nervous system, skin, hair, eyes, mouth, and liver. 1
Nutritionists categorize vitamins by the materials that a vitamin will dissolve in. There are two categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins, which include the B-complex group and vitamin C, travel through the bloodstream. Whatever water-soluble vitamins are not used by the body are eliminated in urine, which means you need a continuous supply of them in your food. Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin. 2
There’s nothing to worry about, writes Roberts, who offers nutritional guidance that will, for example, provide a vitamin B1 intake “superior to meat-eaters.” She addresses everything from protein requirements to labor pains and nursing positions, with a zeal for the vegetarian diet that can seem almost religious. Roberts weaves spirituality throughout, with poems at the beginning of each chapter and numerous references to “maternal intuition” and “wisdom from a higher source.” The volume’s question-and-answer format grows a trifle tedious, although a detailed index makes specific information easier to find. Roberts dedicates her useful book to ” every woman contemplating pregnancy while striving for the best of health and showing the greatest mercy to others,” but readers who aren’t already dedicated to vegetarianism and a spiritual approach to wellness may be put off by its sometimes preachy tone. 3
Pharmacokinetics: Orally administered vitamin B1 is absorbed mainly from duodenum, by both active and passive processes. The total amount which can be absorbed following administration of a large dose is 4 to 8 mg. Body stores are approximately 30 mg, with a 1 mg daily turnover. Storage is mainly in skeletal muscles, heart, liver, kidneys and brain. 4
Vitamin B1 is metabolized in the liver and excreted in the urine. When large doses are administered, body stores may become saturated and unchanged vitamin B1 may be excreted in the urine. 5
It’s pretty rare in the United States for a person to be deficient in this vitamin. A lack of it can cause beriberi, a condition that involves confusion, muscle wasting, nerve problems and a rapid heartbeat. It’s usually only seen in the United States in babies who are fed formula that isn’t supplemented with Vitamin B1 or in people who drink large amounts of alcohol. People who drink heavily should talk to their doctors about how to quit drinking and whether they need vitamin B1 supplements. 6
If you want to get the most vitamins possible from your food, refrigerate fresh produce and keep milk and grains away from strong light. Vitamins are easily destroyed and washed out during food preparation and storage. If you take vitamin supplements, store them at room temperature in a dry place that’s free of moisture. 7
Vitamin B1, also commonly called thiamin, is a member of the B-vitamin family and most famous for its role in the nutritional deficiency disease beriberi. Beriberi, a word derived from the Sinhalese word beri meaning “weakness,” is a disease that was widespread (particularly in parts of Asia) during the late 19th and early 20th century. 8
In its most common form, the disease was characterized by muscular weakness , energy deprivation, and inactivity. Sailing voyages were a common backdrop for the appearance of beriberi, and the addition of whole grains to ships rations was discovered to prevent its occurrence. By 1926, researchers discovered that the preventive substance in whole grains that could also remedy the energy deprivation in the ships’ crews was vitamin B1. 9
Vitamin B1 is a water soluble vitamin that readily enters and exits the body daily so it must be taken internally on a daily basis. Vitamin B1 is a crystalline, yellow-white, water-soluble compound that is heat and alkali reactive when placed in solution. Thiamin helps maintain a normal metabolism and helps burn carbohydrates. Vitamin B1 is found in most whole grains. 10
Since vitamin B1 works in concert with other members of the B complex, a multivitamin supplement that contains all of the B vitamins is usually recommended, unless a specific B1 deficiency is being treated. Because vitamin B1 is water-soluble, the body excretes excess amounts of the nutrient, so there is little danger of overdose. 11
Most cells in the body depend on sugar as an energy source. When oxygen is used to help convert sugar into usable energy, the process of energy generation is called aerobic energy production. This process cannot take place without adequate supplies of vitamin B1, since B1 is part of an enzyme system (called the pyruvate dehydrogenase system) that enables oxygen-based processing of sugar. 12
When vitamin B1 functions in this energy-production capacity, it is usually present in the form of TDP, or thiamin diphosphate. Other forms of vitamin B1, including TPP (thiamin pyrophosphate) and TMP (thiamin monophosphate) are also important in energy production. 13
The present study was aimed to determine the vitamin status of vitamins A, E, beta-carotene, B1, B2, B6, B12 and folate in plasma using HPLC and vitamins B1, B2 and B6 in erythrocytes using the apoenzyme stimulation test with the Cobas-Bio analyzer in 29 elderly type II diabetic women with (G1: n = 17, age: 68.6 +/- 3.2 years) and without (G2: n = 12, age: 71.8 +/- 2.7 years) diabetic polyneuropathy. The basic parameters as age, hemoglobin A1c, fructosamine and duration of the disease did not differ in both groups. Furthermore, retinopathy was assessed with fundoscopy and nephropathy with creatinine clearance. 14
Vitamin B1 also plays a key role in support of the nervous system, where it permits healthy development of the fat-like coverings which surround most nerves (called myelin sheaths). In the absence of vitamin B1, these coverings can degenerate or become damaged. Pain, prickly sensations, and nerve deadening are nerve-related symptoms that can result from vitamin B1 deficiency. 15
References
The Panacea offers these health-extracts to help people investigate health-related subjects in greater depth using the references given in each paragraph. Kindly note that these are current extracts from the web, meant for research, and that these are not meant to be medical advise. For all your health-related needs you must consult trained and licensed personnel.
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