2023-06-16 06:38:02
Vitamins are necessary for survival. And like almost all other vitamins – with the exception of Vitamin D – the body must also get B1 through food. Otherwise there will be a shortage. In this article you can read about the causes and consequences of this and what options there are for avoiding or treating a vitamin B1 deficiency.
deficiency? This is vitamin B1
At Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin. Also called thiamine, it is essential for the digestion of carbohydrates for energy. It also contributes to the normal functioning of nerves and the heart. Thiamine is involved in the transmission of stimuli in the nervous system. According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE) Both animal and vegetable foods contain vitamin B1. These should be eaten regularly because the body can only store small amounts of thiamine.
Thiamine Requirements: How Much Vitamin B1 Do I Need?
The required amount of vitamin B1 depends on age and gender. The daily needs that the DGE presents in detail, rising from 0.2 milligrams immediately after birth to 1.4 milligrams for male adolescents and 1.1 milligrams for female adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19. The value then drops slightly again. Pregnant and breastfeeding women need a little more thiamine.
Avoid vitamin B1 deficiency: Which foods contain vitamin B1?
Vitamin B1 is sensitive to heat, UV rays and oxygen. Its content in food can therefore vary depending on storage and preparation. Nevertheless, the DGE writes that even the highest reference values can be achieved with a wholesome diet. These foods contain a particularly large amount of vitamin B1:
- Whole grain cereals (e.g. oatmeal)
- Legumes (e.g. lentils, peas, beans)
- dry yeast
- Meat (especially pork and pork liver)
- Fish (especially plaice, tuna)
- Vegetables (e.g. potatoes, asparagus, spinach)
- Nuts (e.g. walnuts)
- Seeds (e.g. pine or sunflower seeds)
The DGE gives examples for an adequate intake of thiamine (i.e. vitamin B1), at which the highest reference value is reached: either 150 g pork fillet or six tablespoons of oatmeal, 20 grams of sunflower seeds, 150 grams of peas and 2 slices of whole wheat bread.
Causes of vitamin B1 deficiency
As with everyone else Vitamin forms can cause deficiency symptoms occur when the body has too little thiamine available. A vitamin B1 deficiency often occurs together with other deficiencies of B vitamins: about B12-Magel, B6-Mangel or B2 deficiency. The main reason for a thiamine deficiency is improper diet. That’s what it’s called medical encyclopedia MSD Manuals Anorexia as a cause of thiamine deficiency. There is also a risk “in people who primarily eat intensively processed carbohydrates (polished rice, white flour and white sugar)”. Because the bleaching and peeling of rice destroys almost all of its vitamins.
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Other reasons for vitamin B1 deficiency are loud MSD Manuals in addition:
- Alcoholism, since excessive alcohol consumption reduces the absorption and processing of the Vitamins impair and increase the B1 requirement
- Disorders or diseases that increase the body’s need for thiamine (e.g., overactive thyroid),
- pregnancy and breastfeeding
- heavy physical exertion
- Fever
Vitamin B1 deficiency: symptoms
Thiamine deficiency initially manifests itself only weakly. This can lead to the following symptoms:
- fatigue
- irritability
- sleep disorders
- memory disorders
- loss of appetite,
- stomach pain
- weight loss
If there is a severe vitamin B1 deficiency, this is called beriberi. A distinction is made between different forms of beriberi with other symptoms. Left untreated, all forms can lead to death:
dry Beriberi: Tingling and tingling in the toes, burning feet at night, cramps and pain in the legs. MSD Manuals writes: “The muscles become weak and gradually degenerate (atrophy). If the deficiency symptoms increase, the arms are also affected.”
humidity Beriberi: High heart rate, dilated blood vessels that warm and moisten the skin. The medical dictionary explains: “Because the heart cannot work at this level for a long time, heart failure eventually develops. As a result, fluid builds up in the legs (edema) and in the lungs (congestion), blood pressure can drop, which shock and death.”
Infantile Beriberi in infants, a few weeks after birth: loss of voice, loss of reflexes, sudden cardiac insufficiency. This form occurs only in infants who are breastfed by a mother who is vitamin B1 deficient.
Diagnosis: how is a vitamin B1 deficiency recognized?
Only the symptoms mentioned above serve as indications that a vitamin B1 deficiency could be present. So far there is noisy MSD Manuals no rapid tests to confirm the diagnosis. Electrolyte blood tests are usually done to rule out other possible causes. “The diagnosis is confirmed when thiamine preparations improve the symptoms,” says the dictionary.
What to do? Prevention and treatment of vitamin B1 deficiency
On average, people are well supplied with thiamine, according to the DGE. The mean intake of thiamine in Germany for all age groups is roughly the recommended intake.
If symptoms of deficiency do occur, they are treated with thiamine preparations. For this purpose, vitamin preparations are swallowed or – in particularly severe cases – injected. Those affected must also eat healthily and should not drink alcohol during treatment. If the deficiency is treated, most patients make a full recovery. However, severe forms of beriberi can leave permanent brain damage.
While many Vitamins in an overdose can become toxic – for example Vitamin D or Vitamin C, thiamine can be consumed in excess without any problems. The DGE writes: “Harmful side effects from a high intake of thiamine, which occurs naturally in food, and thiamine from vitamin preparations are not known.” The excess vitamin B1 is simply excreted with the urine. Therefore, a type of therapy with B1 preparations taken is usually not particularly effective.
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