Water Soluble Vitamins - Thiamin (B1)
The greatest source of thiamin is in unrefined grains or starchy roots and tubers. However, industrial processing such as polishing of the rice grain removes the thiamin. Other sources include liver, kidney, pork, nuts and pulses. However, the greatest dietary source in the Western world is via fortified breakfast cereals.
Thiamin is absorbed both actively and passively from the upper intestine, most efficiently after a meal. A derivative of thiamine contributes to the metabolism of carbohydrate, so it plays an important role in energy generation.
Thiamin deficiency causes a condition known as beriberi, common in countries where refined rice is the staple. Symptoms are related to both the cardiovascular and nervous systems such as oedema, irregular heart beat, enlarged heart, vasodilation plus muscle weakness and neural degeneration. Thiamin deficiency is also seen in chronic alcoholism, resulting in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which causes neural damage that can eventually lead to psychosis and memory loss, if left untreated.
While the cardiovascular symptoms of beriberi responds well to supplementation treatment, the neurological damage may be more difficult to treat. Treatment success in alcoholics is strongly linked to the patient’s ability to abstain from alcohol.
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