Thiamine – What It Is, Benefits and Deficiency!
Thiamine – what it is and its functions:
Thiamine or vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps cells produce energy from carbohydrates. It is essential for the functioning of the heart, muscles and nervous system because it plays a role in the conduction of nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
Best sources:
Rich foods include enriched, fortified, and whole-grain products such as bread, rice, pasta, tortillas and cereal, and beef liver and pork.
Deficiency:
Early symptoms of deficiency include fatigue , muscle weakness, anorexia , weight loss, and mental changes such as confusion or irritability. As deficiency becomes more severe, it can result in a disease called beriberi, which is characterized by severe nervous system and cardiovascular complications, including heart failure in infants. Beriberi, which is most often seen in developing countries.
News of the week:
Thiamine deficiency is rare in industrialized countries, where it usually only occurs in chronic alcoholics. In alcoholics, thiamine deficiency can progress to beriberi or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a disease most commonly a result of alcohol-induced malnutrition.
Excesses:
Useful links:
It is not likely that you will experience adverse effects from consuming too much; your body absorbs less thiamine on intakes above 5 mg and excretes any amount it considers excess. While documentation of adverse effects from excess thiamine is limited, this does not mean that there is no possibility of harmful effects, so stay within the recommended dose range.