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Thiamin

Thiamin

Aid Overall Health

Thiamin is a B complex vitamin that is often referred to as vitamin B1. Thiamin is not produced naturally in the body, but it is a requirement for life. Therefore, you must get Thiamin from the diet or by taking a daily supplement.

Thiamin is one of the B vitamins that helps the human body to convert carbohydrates into energy. It does this through the cells in the human body. Thiamin has other benefits as well, which will be discussed later in this article.

Thiamin was discovered in the 1930s. What’s neat about Thiamin is that it is the first vitamin that was ever determined to be an actual vitamin. Although other vitamins were already discovered at this time, the discovery was of the compounds, not their actual function. Vitamin B1 has the distinct honor of being the first recognized vitamin.   

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Summary

Thiamin is Essential to the Human Body Thiamin is an essential vitamin. In science, any time you see the word essential before a vitamin or a mineral, this means that the body needs it to survive but doesn’t produce it naturally. What this means for you is that you must get it from the... more

Thiamin is Essential to the Human Body

Thiamin is an essential vitamin. In science, any time you see the word essential before a vitamin or a mineral, this means that the body needs it to survive but doesn’t produce it naturally.

What this means for you is that you must get it from the foods you eat or you need to include a multivitamin that contains thiamin in the ingredients.

The problem is that while there are a lot of foods that contain Thiamin, there is no one food that contains a lot of Thiamin. This makes it difficult for people who don’t eat extremely healthy diets to get the amount of Thiamin that they need in their diet.

Thiamin can be found in most veggies, in most fruits, in nuts, eggs and milk. Meat does contain some Thiamin but it is in much lower quantities than you will find in other food products.

To give you an idea of how low foods are in Thiamin, most people don’t get their daily recommendation. The RDA for an adult male is just 1.2 mg a day and for an adult female is just 1.1 mg a day. Children need even less, at around half a milligram each day.

If, however, you eat a well balanced diet with lean meats and plenty of fruits and veggies, then you should have no trouble getting the Thiamin that you need.

Thiamin and Symptoms of a Deficiency

The most common signs of a deficiency of Thiamin are:

  • Tiredness
  • Feeling faint
  • Feeling weak
  • Dizziness

More severe, but less common, side effects include:

  • Neurosis
  • Nerve damage
  • Brain damage
  • Beriberi
  • Korsakoff syndrome
  • Wernicke’s disease

Fortunately, severe side effects typically only occur in men and women who are alcohols and they can be avoided by including a multivitamin in your diet that includes Thiamin or increasing your foods that contain Thiamin.

The most common severe side affect in alcohols is beriberi disease. Beriberi disease is easy to avoid if you ensure to take the steps to increase your Thiamin if you have a problem with alcohol abuse.

Some of the symptoms of beriberi disease include:

  • Paralyses of the legs
  • Confusion
  • Vomiting
  • Problems walking
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain
  • Selling of the extremities

The good news is that beriberi disease can be reversed if caught in time. If not, then the damage done to the body can be permanent and can even lead to death. If you are diagnosed with beriberi, then your doctor will prescribe you Thiamin with supplements, usually via injection to speed the absorption into the body.

Thiamin Overdose

There are absolutely no known side effects for having too much Thiamin in the body. There are no overdose concerns or poisoning concerns like there are with other vitamins. In essence, you can have all of the Thiamin that you want and it will just continue to be beneficial to the body.

Thiamin Supplementation

As with any vitamin, if you can get enough Thiamin in your diet, this is the best way for your body to digest and absorb this vitamin. However, if you are like millions of people who don’t eat the way that they should, then you should take Thiamin in supplement form.

Because you don’t need a lot of Thiamin to meet your daily recommendation, you don’t necessary need a supplement that is all Thiamin. Although there is nothing wrong with these types of supplements, you might want to consider a multivitamin option instead that allows you to get other vitamins in addition to the Thiamin that you need.

Thiamin supplements aren’t expensive, some cost as low as $2. Just remember to look at the source of the vitamin, and choose a company that has a good history of producing uncontaminated products in the US.

Check out our supplement finder to find Thiamin supplements and multivitamins to maintain a healthy body! 

Other

  • Side Effects
  • Other Names
  • Uses
Aneurine Hydrochloride, Antiberiberi Factor, Antiberiberi Vitamin, Antineuritic Factor, Antineuritic Vitamin, B Complex Vitamin, Chlorhydrate de Thiamine, Chlorure de Thiamine, Complexe de Vitamine B, Facteur Anti-béribéri, Facteur Antineuritique, Hydrochlorure de Thiamine, Mononitrate de Thiamine, Nitrate de Thiamine, Thiamine Chloride, Thiamine HCl, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Thiamine Nitrate, Thiaminium Chloride Hydrochloride, Tiamina, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B-1, Vitamina B1, Vitamine Anti-béribéri, Vitamine Antineuritique, Vitamine B1
Converts Carbohydrates To Energy