What does thiamine do? The understanding nutrients series
We’re back with another edition of the understanding nutrients series! This series looks at the different nutrients in our foods and why we need them. They're all essential and play many roles. You can see the other nutrients I’ve covered here.
Today, we’re going to look at the vitamin B1, also known as
thiamine. Thiamine is a water soluble vitamin which means it dissolves in water
and isn’t stored in the body. We need to get thiamine from the foods we eat.
And a healthy balanced diet is the best way to get enough.
Role of thiamine:
Here are the main roles of thiamine:
Metabolism: vitamin B1 is crucial
in carbohydrate metabolism. This means it helps us convert the carbohydrates in
the food we eat into energy our cells can use. It does this by being a cofactor
for an enzyme that’s essential in energy production. This means it helps to speed up the chemical reactions. Without thiamine, your
body would struggle to produce energy, and this can have serious consequences.
Thiamine also helps with fat and alcohol metabolism.
Muscles: thiamine also plays a role
in muscle contraction and nerve signalling. This helps you move, breathe, and
think. It also helps keep your nerves healthy and working well.
How much thiamine should we be having?
Thiamine is a bit different in
terms of how much we need, due to its role in releasing energy from the food we
eat. So, the value for the amount of B1 we need is per 1000 calories.
Adults need 0.4mg per 1000 calories
eaten. So, if you eat 2000 calories, you’ll need 0.8mg of thiamine a day.
For
reference, a 100g pork chop has 0.8mg of thiamine.
Thiamine
is absorbed in your small intestine. Most people should be able to absorb it
well, but people that have heavy alcohol use will have a reduced ability to absorb
it. This is due to the damage alcohol does to your stomach lining and digestive
tract.
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Foods that are sources of thiamine:
Foods like meat, eggs, seeds, and wholegrains are good sources of thiamine. In the UK, white flour is fortified with thiamine as the amount of naturally occurring thiamine is reduced in the processing of flour. A lot of cereals are also fortified with thiamine too. So this isn’t an exhaustive list but it’s to give you some ideas:
- 100g of grilled beef has 0.15mg of vitamin B1
- 25g (a small handful) of sunflower seeds has 0.4mg of vitamin B1
- 100g of trout has 0.2mg of vitamin B1
- 100g of pinto beans has 0.23mg of vitamin B1
- 100g of lentils has 0.13mg of vitamin B1
- 30g of rice krispies (fortified with vitamins) has 0.27mg of vitamin B1
What happens if you don’t get enough thiamine?
You should be able to get all the
thiamine you need from a balanced diet. But people that have heavy alcohol use,
an unbalanced diet, or a malabsorption disorder are at risk of deficiency. People
with chronic diarrhoea, undergoing dialysis, or have had bariatric surgery are
also at risk.
A deficiency in thiamine is called Beri
Beri. There are two types: wet and dry.
Wet Beri Beri affects the heart and
your blood vessels. It can lead to symptoms like shortness of breath when exercising,
shortness of breath upon waking, swollen legs, and a fast heart rate. It’s
called ‘wet’ as your blood vessels become weaker and so more fluid moves in. It
can also lead to heart failure which is where your heart is unable to pump
blood efficiently.
Dry Beri Beri affects your nervous
system. It can lead to difficulty walking, numbness in hands and feet, loss of
muscle function, confusion, and pain. This is due to your nerves becoming inflamed
and damaged. It can also result in Wernicke’s encephalopathy or Korsakoff
syndrome which is where your brain becomes damaged. These can lead to
confusion, eye paralysis, uncoordinated movements, and amnesia.
A mild deficiency is treated with
supplementation that you take orally. It can take a few weeks before you’ll
start to feel better. A more severe deficiency
is treated with thiamine through an IV or injected into the muscle.
Key points:
- Thiamine is vitamin B1 and is a water soluble vitamin.
- Thiamine plays a crucial role in carbohydrate metabolism and helps with muscle contraction.
- Adults need 0.4mg of thiamine per 1000 calories eaten.
- Sources of thiamine include: fortified foods, pork, grains, lentils, and beans.
- You should be able to get all the thiamine you need from a balanced diet. People that are alcoholics, have a unbalanced diet, or have certain health conditions are at risk of deficiency.
- A deficiency in thiamine is called Beri Beri and can have lots of unpleasant symptoms.
I hope you enjoyed this post and
found it useful.
Bye for now! 👋
References:
Thiamine
in metabolism: https://grantome.com/grant/NIH/K02-HL107447-01A1
https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/thiamine-vitamin-b1/about-thiamine/
Sources:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-b1/
https://quadram.ac.uk/UKfoodcomposition/foods/pork-loin-chops-grilled-lean/
Alcohol and thiamine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6875731/
Deficiency: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33305487/
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