2024-03-27 04:23:08
Vitamin B1 is also called thiamine and is vital for us humans. A deficiency can have serious consequences. Important information at a glance.
Vitamins are necessary for survival. And like almost all other vitamins – with the exception of vitamin D – the body also needs to consume B1 through food. Otherwise there will be a defect. Read this article to find out what causes and consequences this can have and what options there are to avoid or treat a vitamin B1 deficiency.
Deficiency symptoms? This is vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin. It is also called thiamine and is essential for the digestion of carbohydrates for energy. It also contributes to the normal function of nerves and heart. Thiamine is involved in the transmission of stimuli in the nervous system. According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), both animal and plant foods contain vitamin B1. These should be eaten regularly as the body can only store thiamine in small quantities.
Thiamine requirement: How much vitamin B1 do I need?
The amount of vitamin B1 required depends on age and gender. The daily requirement, which the DGE presents in detail, increases from 0.2 milligrams immediately after birth to 1.4 milligrams for male adolescents and 1.1 milligrams for female adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age. The value then drops slightly again. Pregnant and breastfeeding women need slightly more thiamine.
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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 high amount of vitamin B1:
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- 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 of a sufficient thiamine intake (i.e. vitamin B1) at which the highest reference value is reached: either 150 g of pork fillet or six tablespoons of oat flakes, 20 grams of sunflower seeds, 150 grams of peas and 2 slices of whole wheat bread.
Causes of vitamin B1 deficiency
As with all other forms of vitamins, deficiency symptoms can occur if the body does not have enough thiamine. A vitamin B1 deficiency often occurs together with other B vitamin deficiencies: such as B12 deficiency, B6 deficiency or B2 deficiency. The main reason for thiamine deficiency is poor nutrition. That’s what the medical lexicon calls it MSD Manuals Anorexia as a cause of thiamine deficiency. There is also a risk “in people who eat a diet primarily of intensively processed carbohydrates (polished rice, white flour and white sugar).” Bleaching and peeling rice destroys almost all of its vitamins.
There are other reasons for vitamin B1 deficiency MSD Manuals in addition:
- Alcoholism, as excessive alcohol consumption can impair the absorption and processing of the vitamin and increase B1 requirements
- Disorders or diseases that increase the body’s need for thiamine (e.g. hyperthyroidism),
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- heavy physical exertion
- Fever
Vitamin B1 deficiency: symptoms
Thiamine deficiency initially only manifests itself weakly. This can lead to the following symptoms:
If there is a severe vitamin B1 deficiency, it is called beriberi. A distinction is made between different forms of beriberi with different symptoms. If 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 broken down (atrophy). If the deficiency increases, the arms are also affected.”
Moist Beriberi: High pulse, dilated blood vessels that warm and moisten the skin. The medical dictionary explains: “Because the heart cannot function at this level for a long time, heart failure eventually develops. As a result, fluid accumulates in the legs (edema) and in the lungs (congestion), blood pressure can drop, which can lead to shock and death.”
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Infantile Beriberi in infants, a few weeks after birth: loss of voice, loss of reflexes, sudden heart failure. This form only occurs in infants who are breastfed by a mother with vitamin B1 deficiency.
Diagnosis: How is a vitamin B1 deficiency recognized?
Only the symptoms mentioned above serve as indications that there could be a vitamin B1 deficiency. So far there is loud MSD Manuals no rapid tests to confirm the diagnosis. Electrolyte blood tests are usually done to rule out other possible causes. “The diagnosis is considered confirmed if 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 average intake of thiamine in Germany is approximately the recommended intake for all age groups.
If deficiency symptoms do occur, they are treated with thiamine preparations. To do this, vitamin preparations are swallowed or – in particularly severe cases – injected. Those affected must also eat a healthy diet and should not drink alcohol during treatment. If the deficiency is treated, most patients recover completely. However, severe forms of beriberi can cause permanent brain damage.
While many vitamins can become toxic in an overdose – such as vitamin D or vitamin C, thiamine can easily be consumed in excess. The DGE writes: “There are no known harmful side effects from a high intake of thiamine that occurs naturally in food and thiamine from vitamin preparations.” The excess vitamin B1 is simply excreted in the urine. That’s why a type of therapy with taken B1 preparations is usually not particularly effective.
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