Vitamin B1(thiamin) is a water-soluble vitamin of the 8 B complex
vitamins. All B vitamins help the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which is used to produce energy. The B vitamins, also help the body metabolize fats and protein. B complex vitamins are needed for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver. They also help the nervous system function properly, and are needed for good brain function.
Vitamin B1(Thiamin) is used by cells to help make energy from foodstuffs. Thiamin pyrophosphate is a cofactor for dehydrogenase enzymes with key roles in cellular energy production. Thiamin pyrophosphate is required for transketolase activity, which is a component of the pentose phosphate pathway, the sole source for the synthesis of ribose used in synthesis of the nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). These reactions also produce the major source of cellular NADPH (used in fatty acid biosynthesis and other pathways). Thiamin triphosphate is localized in nerve cell membranes, and plays a role in transmission of nervous impulses and acetylcholine synthesis.
Deficiency symptoms:
Early vitamin B1(thiamin) deficiency leads to clinical signs of:
- Loss of appetite
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Constipation
- Mental depression
- Nausea
- Peripheral Neuropathy
Clinical signs of more severe thiamin deficiency (Wernicke-Korsafoff Syndrome):
- Mental confusion
- Loss of eye coordination
- Loss of fine motor control
- Weakness
Those at risk for vitamin B1(Thiamin) deficiency include:
- Patients suffering from malnutrition, starvation or malabsorptin syndromes
- Alcoholics
- Patients on restricted diets
- Gastric partitioning surgery
- Thiamin-Responsive
- Prolonged hemodialysis (pregnancy, lactation, fever, infection, trauma)
- Elderly
- Patients with an increased metabolic rate
- Inherited
- Metabolic Disorders
Repletion Information:
Dietary sources richest in B1 (per serving) include:
- Nutritional supplements
- Rice Bran
- Pork enriched grain & grain products (cereals)
- Nutritional Yeasts
- Wheat Germ
- Legumes (beans, peas, soybeans, lentils
Download SpectraCell's nutrition correlation reference chart referencing Vitamin B1(Thiamin)'s role in Fibromyalgia, Insomnia and Pain.
View our webinar on "Nutritional Considerations of Fibromyalgia" which discusses vitamin B1 as well as many other nutrients that play a vital role in fibromyalgia.
