Beriberi Results Due to Thiamine Deficiency

Vitamin B1, which is also known as thiamine, is an important vitamin for our body. Specifically, this vitamin is required to maintain a healthy brain. In this other article, we listed some of the disorders that are caused by the deficiency of this vitamin. Beriberi is one of the disorder that results due to vitamin B1 deficiency. In this article, we are going to look at beriberi in a little more detail.

Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin which is flushed out of our body on regular basis. Our is unable to store this vitamin, therefore it becomes necessary to replenish the supply daily. One good thing about this vitamin is that it is required in large amounts, and we can easily get enough of it from our diet. The problem, however, is for those individuals who abuse alcohol regularly. They are at a huge risk for thiamine deficiency, and are exposed to a number of serious medical disorders of the brain.

Types of Beriberi

Beriberi is a diseases which results when your body does not have enough thiamine. It is characterized by extreme weakness. There are two types of beriberi that you need to be aware of. First one is called wet beriberi and the second one is called dry beriberi. The different between the two types of beriberi is the organs they affect. Wet beriberi affect our cardiovascular system and dry beriberi affects our nervous system.

There is another type of beriberi that we do not often hear about as it is not common. It is called genetic beriberi. Individuals inherit this from their parents, and it is passed down families in this fashion. It is important for individuals to be informed about this condition and look out for symptoms themselves. Beriberi commonly occurs in alcoholic abusers. Self monitoring of symptoms is suggested because doctor may miss the diagnosis if you are not an alcoholic abuser.  

As stated earlier in this article, beriberi is very rare in United States. Our foods are highly enriched in thiamine and deficiencies rarely occur (except alcoholics). So you must be wondering why alcoholics are at greater risk of beriberi? A simple answer to that question is that alcohol impairs your ability to absorb thiamine. You may be consuming plenty of thiamine from your food or supplements, but it is not getting absorbed, then your body can't use thiamine.

Breastfeeding mothers also need to be cautious. If they are thiamine deficient  their infants are also at the risk of beriberi since they get thiamine from their mothers.

Symptoms of Beriberi

So now we know different types of beriberi, let's look at the symptoms of beriberi that we need to watch out for. According to University of Maryland Medical Center, symptoms of beriberi include swelling, tingling, burning sensation in hands and feet, confusion, breathing troubles because of the fluid in lungs, uncontrolled eye movement (which is called nystagmus).

Thiamine deficiencies can be easily treated by consuming foods rich in thiamine. If you are not an alcoholic, then you are not at a huge risk for beriberi. As long as your diet is healthy and nutrient rich, you should be getting adequate amounts of thiamine from your diet to prevent deficiency. Foods these days are further enriched with vitamin B1 to prevent deficiencies.

I hope this article helped you understand somewhat about beriberi and hope that you can use this information to modify your diet if needed. Feel free to share it with others if it helped. Thanks for reading.


Sources:
www.umm.edu/ency/article/000339.htm
www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-b1-000333.htm
www.uh.edu/engines/epi567.htm

5 Medical Disorders that Result Due to Thiamine Deficiency

Thiamine play an important role in maintaining healthy nervous system and may prevent many diseases from occurring. We have already learnt what thiamine is in previous posts. If you haven't feel free to check out this article which briefly describes what thiamine is.

As we know, thiamine deficiencies are rare but they do occur. Especially in individuals who abuse alcohol. If such deficiencies are not taken care of with consumption of adequate thiamine rich foods, many medical disorders may result.

The purpose of this article is to look at what medical diseases or problems occur due to thiamine deficiency. Deficiencies that result because of thiamine can be easily treated with thiamine (vitamin B1) supplementation. It is recommended that you do not start taking vitamin supplementation without professional help. It is very important to also determine any underlying or related conditions which may also need treatment.

1. Beriberi
   So the first condition that results due to thiamine deficiency, which we are going to look at, is called Beriberi. It is a nervous system ailment that people in the developed countries don't usually get. Our foods, cereals and breads are fortified with vitamin B1, so deficiency rarely occurs. According to University of Maryland Medical Center, some of the symptoms of beriberi include confusion, swelling, troubled breathing because of fluid in the lungs and nystagmus (uncontrolled eye movements).
2. Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
   This disease is characterized by the nerve damage in both the central and peripheral nervous system and memory loss. It is a most common disorder that results due to the overuse of alcohol. Treatments usually include injections in vein or muscle, or administration via mouth to control the symptoms as much as possible. The memory loss caused by deficiency is mostly non-reversible and thiamine supplementation doesn't always improve memory.
   An individual affected with this condition should start consuming good diet which is rich in thiamine and all other vitamins and stop drinking alcohol to prevent further brain damage. If you are a heavy drinker and are deciding to quit alcohol all of a sudden, it is advised that you do it with the suggestions of your physical. Suddenly stopping alcohol usage may result in variable alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
3. Cataracts
   The lens of our eye is made up of protein, and when the chemical markup of lens changes, cataracts result. Basically, cataract is termed when the lens become cloudy due to the chemical changes of the lens proteins. A cloudy lens does not allow the light rays to pass properly and rays are distorted as a result. Light is then unable to focus on retina because of the distortion, resulting in poor, blurred or double vision. Recent research suggests that thiamine reduces the chances of developing cataracts. For individuals with cataracts, surgery is an option where the old damaged lens is replaced with a new lens.  
4. Alzheimer's Disease
   Another disease of the brain. Thiamine as we know it, may cause dementia in patients with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Therefore, scientists thought that thiamine might be able to help those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, but results were not conclusive. Also, people undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery are at increased risk for emergence of Alzheimer's disease.
5. Heart failure
   Vitamin B1 is known to keep your heart healthy as well. People with heart diseases do sometimes take diuretics, pills that help their body get rid of extra fluids. Since vitamin B1 is water-soluble, it is lost in that process as well. As a result, vitamin B1 supply diminishes in the body and other medical disorders start to come up over time.

In conclusion, vitamin B1 is important to keep your brain healthy and prevent unwanted and irreversible damaged from occurring. People who drink alcohol more than usual need to keep an eye on their vitamin B1 levels in blood via regular blood works. Multivitamin tablets usually provide enough thiamine to prevent deficiencies, but you should start them after consulting your physician. You should also try to consume foods that are rich in thiamine.

Sources:
www.umm.edu/ency/article/000771trt.htm
www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-b1-000333.htm
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/cata.html
www.bu.edu/alzresearch/

What is Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is one of the many vitamins that we need to stay healthy. It belongs to the group of B vitamins which contain 8 vitamins in total. Collection of these vitamins is called B-complex, which can be found at your local drug stores.

Thiamine plays various roles in our body, but its major role is to convert carbohydrates into glucose. Glucose is then converted into ATP, which is the energy currency for our cells. Vitamins of B complex play a similar role in our body, they help us feel energetic. since the major function of these vitamins is to help produce energy, this benefit is quite obvious. But, vitamin B also provide many other health benefits, such as healthy live, skin, hair and eyes.

Another important feature of this vitamin is its ability to dissolve in water. This property of thiamine is termed water-solubility. So what does that mean for us? It means that our body is unable to store thiamine in our body and all the leftover is flushed out of body. Vitamins B and C are the only ones that are water soluble, all others are water-insoluble and can be stored in our body for longer durations.

Vitamin B1 is also referred to as the "anti-stress" vitamins because of its ability to help an individual withstand stressful conditions. It does it my strengthening the immune system.

Thiamine is found in both plants and animal sources. There are many foods rich in thiamine that you can consume to prevent any deficiencies from occurring. Thiamine deficiencies are however very rare and are found mostly in alcohol abusers.

How can you determine if you are thiamine deficient? You can look for the following deficiency symptoms. Symptoms of thiamine deficiency in most people include fatigue, irritability, depression, and abdominal pain or some sort of discomfort. It is recommended that you visit your doctor for regular check-ups to ensure you remain healthy and prevent any deficiencies at early stage.

In conclusion, thiamine is an important vitamin for our brain. Although the deficiencies are rare, we still need to look out for deficiency symptoms and get medical help whenever deemed necessary. To remain healthy, we also need to make sure that we are not missing other essential vitamins. A good diet, rich in all the nutrients, is necessary to remain healthy and enjoy peaceful life.

References:
www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-b1-000333.htm

10 Best Thiamine Rich Foods

Thiamine plays a huge role in the maintenance of healthy central nervous (brain and spinal cord). It is, therefore, important that you consume plenty of thiamine rich foods. Our brain is the most important organ in our body as it coordinates all of the important activities. In order to have our brain working optimally and efficiently, we need to make sure we are providing what it needs. Thiamine is one of those vitamin which it needs to prevent nerve damage and cause an array of medical disorders. In this article I am going to share some thiamine rich foods with you.

By consuming foods that are rich in thiamine, you can prevent unwanted thiamine related deficiencies. Just because we are talking about thiamine here doesn't mean other vitamins aren't important. Our diet needs to be balanced. In other words, it must contain all the nutrients that we need to keep our self healthy. Having vitamin rich alone doesn't help, you also need to make sure that you are getting enough of these vitamins.

How do you determine how much of specific vitamin do you need? You will need to look at the RDI (recommended daily intake) values which are provided by the health ministry of your country. These numbers represent a minimum and maximum values, which indicate that the amount you should be taking needs to fall within that range.

Let's now look at some of the foods that are rich in thiamine.

1. Yeast Extract Spread
   It only gives you enough thiamine, but also contains vitamin B12 along with healthy amount of protein. A 100 grams serving of this spread can easily give you 9.5 mg of vitamin B1 (thiamine). 
2. Sesame Seeds or Butter
   Commonly used in Chinese and a whole bunch of other dishes, 100 grams serving can give you about 1.5 mg of thiamine.
3. Yellow fin Tuna
   This fish is a perfect meat source for thiamine. It does not give you excessive calories and provides decent amounts of thiamine at the same time.
4. Beans
   Most beans, including black and split beans, have good amounts of thiamine in them, which make them a good choice for food. Another benefit of beans is that they also give you protein along with thiamine. So beans help keep your brain healthy and provide raw protein for your muscles. 
5. Sunflower Seeds
   A 100 grams serving can give you about 1.5 mg of thiamine. Sunflower seeds are commonly used in on the go snacks, salads and various kinds of soups. 
6. Brussels Sprouts
   Benefits of vegetables are endless. Brussels sprouts have a lot of thiamine in them. People usually boil a cup or two for consumption. 
7. Pistachios
   Lovely and delicious snack! You can take them anywhere with you and have them on the go. They also give you plenty of copper, potassium and other minerals. Despite these benefits, you need to look at the amount of salt they contain. If you have a problem with your blood pressure being too high, you should consider other foods which contain less sodium. Sodium chloride (table salt) can increase your blood pressure.
8. Soy Foods
   Perfect food for vegetarians for their protein and thiamine needs. soy foods aren't expensive and give you quality protein and vitamins.
9. Nuts
   Another great snack that you can consume with just about anything.
10. CerealsBreakfast cereals are normally fortified with enough thiamine to prevent deficiencies. It is a bad idea to miss your breakfast. Not only are you mission out of all these lovely vitamins, but you would also not have enough energy to begin your day with a smile on your face.

As most doctors will tell you, prevention is the best cure. If you can, it is easy to make some decision about your diet and include healthy nutrient rich foods. 

Sometimes, however, deficiencies result due to reasons beyond our control. You could be consuming a good diet but still have deficiencies. These deficiencies can be caused by underlying medical conditions or some genetic factors. Therefore, it is also important to visit your physician for normal check-up and blood-work. Good diet and regular visits to your doctor can increase the chances of you living a healthy life dramatically. 

I hope this article helped you understand what deficiencies are and how you can prevent them by consuming foods rich in thiamine in your diet. Consider the list provided above and consume thiamine rich foods. Feel free to share this article with others if it helped. Thank you for reading.