Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

Thiamin or Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin that functions as a coenzyme necessary for the breakdown of carbohydrates that produce energy in the form of glucose. Thiamin it is referred some times as the “morale vitamin” because of its effect on a healthy nervous system and improving learning capacity.

The name Thiamin (Thiamine) comes from the words thio, meaning sulfur and amine referring to the nitrogen groups in the molecule. In more modern spelling the letter e is dropped from the word Thiamine. Christian Eijkman, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, 1929, first pointed out a component in the husk of rice, which was later named vitamin B1.

Thiamin is found in a wide variety of foods but generally in small amounts. Meats (except pork), milk, milk products, fish, sea food and most fruit contain very little vitamin B1. Some selfish and fish contain an enzyme (thiaminase) that actually destroys Vitamin B1 but, fortunately cooking destroys the enzyme. Thiamin is however sensitive to heat and high alkaline solutions (>7). Therefore, prolonged exposure to heat-overcooked foods- and the use of baking soda in green vegetables to retain their green color will destroy the functions of the vitamin.

Thiamin is absorbed rapidly in the upper and lower small intestine. It is not stored in the body in any worth mention quantity and therefore must be supplied daily. Smoking, alcohol and excess sugar will cause thiamin depletion. There is no upper level intake for this nutrient as it appears to be no adverse effects with excess intake from food or supplements. Foods with high Thiamin content are pork and pork products, legumes, sunflower seeds, watermelon, green beans, asparagus and mushrooms.

A decline in vitamin B1 levels will occur with age. Deficiency is most commonly found in alcoholic’s, people with malabsorption conditions, people with a very poor diet, children with congenital heart disease, people with chronic fatigue, people on regular kidney dialysis- here B1 deficiency can result in fatal complications. The classic Thiamin deficiency disease is beriberi.

The Role of B1 Vitamin in Health

Deficiency in vitamin B1 makes it hard for a person not only to digest carbohydrates but additionally leaves much pyruvic acid in the blood which causes oxygen deficiency and may result in loss of physical and mental alertness, cardiac damage, difficulty with breathing, fatigue, apathy, loss of appetite, emotional instability, heart irregularities, abdominal pains, constipation, optic nerve inflammation and dysfunction of the central nervous system (neurons) as it depends on glucose for energy. Vitamin B1 must be taken together with Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3….as part of a B-complex vitamin or a multivitamin supplement.

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