THE BENEFITS OF VITAMIN B1

Vitamin B1 by Dale Bennett

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is absolutely essential for human health. Without it, our bodies can't properly process carbohydrates, the most common source for the energy that our bodies need every day. Thiamine is needed to form adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an essential part of the chemical transformation of food into energy which takes place in every single one of the cells in our bodies. Vitamin B1 is one of eight B vitamins, also called "B complex vitamins," all of which share this characteristic of converting carbohydrates into fuel - glucose - for our cells. Thiamine was designated "B1" because it was the first of the B complex vitamins to be discovered. B1 also has a role in helping the body metabolize proteins and fats. B1, like all the B vitamins, is "water soluble," meaning it readily dissolves in water. This is significant because it means that excess thiamine is flushed out with the urine and cannot be stored in the body for long periods. This, along with the fact that the human body cannot produce its own Vitamin B1, means that, for good health, we must consume the vitamin on a fairly regular basis throughout our entire lives.

Deficiency of Vitamin B1 to the point of disease or dysfunction of the body is rare, but anorexics, alcoholics, those suffering from Crohn's Disease, and patients undergoing kidney dialysis are much more likely to be deficient in this essential nutrient than the general population. Abdominal pain, depression, irritability, and fatigue are some of the symptoms of a lack of Vitamin B1.

When Vitamin B1 deficiency is very severe, a disease called beriberi can result. Symptoms of beriberi, in addition to the above, include having trouble breathing, irregular and involuntary eye movements, mental confusion, and a tingling or burning feeling in the feet and hands. It's rare for this severe deficiency disease to be found in the developed world, because our diets almost always include adequate amounts of Vitamin B1.

Vitamin B1 has been found to be very effective in treating a kind of memory, nerve, and vision disorder called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, or WKS, which is particularly common among alcoholics. And research indicates that between 30 and 80 percent of alcoholics have a detectable thiamine deficiency. Increased Vitamin B1 also mitigates the effects of alcohol withdrawal.

Recent studies have shown that Vitamin B1 supplementation can help prevent kidney damage among patients with Type 2 diabetes. Those who took 100 mg of thiamine three times daily had significantly less albumin in their urine than those who did not take the supplements, and albumin in the urine is a typical measure of the kidney damage due to this disease.

If you suffer from epilepsy and take the drug phenytoin, a new study indicates that taking 50 to 100 mg of Vitamin B1 in addition to your medication can improve your mental functioning.

High doses of thiamine can also benefit older adults suffering from cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's disease, according to some researchers. New studies report better mental function and fewer memory and senility-related problems. But to see these results, the doses have to be quite large - from 3,000 to 8,000 mg every day. Research is ongoing in this area and the results so far are encouraging - but not conclusive, according to some scientists.

Indications from recent studies are that Vitamin B1 is also helpful in preventing glaucoma (pressure-related nerve damage to the eye which can result in a reduced field of vision and even blindness) and cataracts (a clouding of the lenses of the eyes, which can lead to decreased vision or blindness).

As with almost all vitamins and nutrients, the best way to get the benefits of Vitamin B1 is by eating a natural, balanced, healthy diet. That way, not only do you get enough of the essential element you're looking for (and in a way in which it's virtually impossible to overdose), but you also get the benefits of the synchronicity of multiple natural vitamins and trace elements - possibly even including some we aren't yet aware of - working together in way in which the overall effect is greater than the sum of its parts. Most foods contain some thiamine, but animal products, blackstrap molasses, legumes, brewer's yeast, bran, wheat germ, and whole grains and rice are particularly rich sources.

In some cases, though - such as exist with people on restricted diets, or needing unusually high doses - supplementation is a good idea. The normal Recommended Daily Allowance is between 1.1 and 1.4 mg a day for adults. Supplements at much higher dosages, from 50 to 100 mg a day, are often prescribed when necessary (in one study of female volunteers, it was found that 50 mg daily of thiamine measurably improved mental acuity). It is often better, though, to take a B Complex supplement instead of B1 alone, as taking large amounts of one of the B vitamins alone can create an imbalance in the others.

Since Vitamin B1 is water-soluble and easily flushed from the body if there is any excess, it's extremely rare for anyone to suffer from an overdose. Those few rare cases that exist are usually a result of anaphylactic shock due to direct injection of excessive thiamine into the bloodstream.

Bottom line: B1 is necessary for both life and health. Make sure you eat a healthy diet rich in this nutrient and, if certain conditions apply to you, consider supplementation, always staying within the safe dosage guidelines. As always, do your own research and intelligently take charge of your own health today!

REFERENCES

Butterworth RF. Thiamin. In: Shils ME, Shike M, Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, editors. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 10th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006

How Stuff Works, "How Vitamin B1 Works," http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/vitamin-supplements/vitamin-b-12.htm , accessed 7 May 2014

WebMD, "Thiamine: Vitamin B1," http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-965-THIAMINE%20(VITAMIN%20B1).aspx?activeIngredientId=965&activeIngredientName=THIAMINE%20(VITAMIN%20B1) , accessed 7 May 2014

Vitamin-Mineral Info, "Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Benefits and Sign of Deficiency, http://www.vitamin-mineral-info.com/vitamin-b1-thiamin-benefits-signs-of-deficiency.php , accessed 7 May 2014