Vitamin B1
Thiamine
also known as Thiamine, Thiamine hydrochloride, Benfotiamine
The first B vitamin to be discovered, isolated in 1926 from rice bran. Thiamine is essential for turning carbohydrates into energy and for nerve function. Severe deficiency causes beriberi — a disease that crippled Asian populations dependent on white rice in the early 20th century, until rice fortification began.
- Essential cofactor for turning carbohydrates and amino acids into ATP
- Required for nerve signal transmission and brain function
- Supports normal heart function
- Found widely in whole grains, legumes, pork, fish, and seeds
- Lost during food processing — refined grains have lost most of their thiamine
- Most fortified breads and cereals add it back
Heavy alcohol use depletes thiamine and impairs absorption — alcoholics are at high risk for thiamine deficiency
Severe deficiency causes Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome — a serious neurological condition seen in chronic alcoholism and severe malnutrition
Diuretic medications can deplete thiamine over time
Coffee and tea contain compounds that bind thiamine — generally not a problem with normal intake but worth knowing for heavy consumers
Raw freshwater fish and shellfish contain thiaminase, an enzyme that destroys thiamine — cooking deactivates it
Horsetail (a herb) also contains thiaminase
Generally very safe in supplemental doses; excess is excreted in urine
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