Vitamin B1, or thiamine, combats fatigue and nervousness

Eating is a natural and self-evident part of life. Most of the time we don't think about what happens to the food we consume in our bodies and how we get the energy and nutrients we need from it. The protagonist of this story, vitamin B1, or thiamine.

Benefits and overview of vitamin B1

Vitamin B1, or thiamine, plays an important role in sometimes quite complex metabolic processes. One of its functions is to convert dietary fats, carbohydrates, and proteins into energy.

But its functions do not end there. In addition, thiamine is necessary for the functioning of the nervous system, the normal functioning of muscles, including the heart muscle, and the production of gastric juice.

Vitamin B1 in food

Vitamin B1 is found in both plant and animal foods. The best sources of vitamin B1 are seeds, nuts and cereals. However, it should be remembered that in cereals, thiamine is mainly concentrated in the seed coat. Therefore, it is extremely important to prefer whole grain products over refined grain products.

Vitamin B1 essentials sources (contents per 100 g)

• Bon Soya flavor yeast (45 mg)
• minced soy mass with tomato sauce and flavoring yeast, Bon Soya (1.8 mg)
• wheat germ (1.7 mg)
• flax seeds (1.6 mg)
• sesame seed paste (1.6 mg)
• sesame seeds, shelled (1.5 mg)
• hemp seeds, hulled (1.3 mg)
• macadamia nuts (1.2 mg)
• oat bran (1 mg)
• raw buckwheat flour (1 mg)
• peanuts (0.9 mg)
• poppy seeds (0.86 mg)
• whole wheat pasta (0.67 mg)
• Brazil nuts (0.62 mg)
• chia seeds (0.62 mg)
• peas, dried (0.6 mg)
• wheat flour, whole grain (0.6 mg)
• buckwheat (0.6 mg)
• oatmeal (0.33 mg)

The average adult's daily requirement for vitamin B1 is between 1.1 and 1.4 mg. Looking at the above list of foods, it may seem at first glance that getting 1 mg is no problem. It should be noted that to obtain the given amount of vitamin B1, you need to eat 100 g of the food in question.

For example, whole wheat pasta contains 0.67 mg of thiamine in dry form. To get the daily amount of thiamine, you would need to eat 200 g of dry pasta, which is about half a kilo of cooked whole wheat pasta per day. Therefore, a few good sources are not enough to get the daily amount you need. You need to eat a variety of foods, including whole grain products, seeds, nuts and Bon Soya flavored yeast.

Vitamin B1 requirement

The need for vitamin B1 depends on daily energy needs. Daily need is 1.0 — 1.2 mg per day for women and 1.2 — 1.5 mg for men. 1.6 for pregnant women and 1.7 mg per day for lactating mothers. The absolute lower limit of thiamine intake is 0.5 for women and 0.6 mg per day for men. Below that, already Clinical symptoms of thiamine deficiency.

The average vitamin B1 requirement for adults and children per 1000 kcal is 0.42 mg per day. For example, an active teenager or athlete in the growth phase who consumes 3500 kcal per day should get 1.47 mg of thiamine from food.

Although the elderly move and eat less and therefore it could be assumed that their thiamine needs are correspondingly lower, there are studies that show that Thiamine is absorbed less well in the elderlyTherefore, the thiamine content of food should also be at least 1.0 mg per day for the elderly.

Vitamin B1 deficiency and its effects

Vitamin B1 deficiency is promoted by overeating refined foods, including pizzas, hamburgers, pies and pasta. Thiamine deficiency is also caused by a lot of sweets, alcohol, starvation (read fasting) and prolonged monotonous diet. Excessive consumption of black tea or coffee and smoking also contribute to vitamin B1 deficiency.

The risk group includes:

• junk food overeaters
• alcoholics
• diabetics
• patients with celiac disease and ulcerative colitis
• pregnant women
• people who have undergone gastric bypass surgery

Since one of the main roles of thiamine is related to metabolism, its need also depends on the amount of food consumed. That is, teenagers in a rapid growth phase and active athletes need significantly more thiamine than adults with little activity. Thiamine absorption decreases with age, so the elderly also need more vitamin B1 than younger people.

Symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency

The most common cause of vitamin B1 deficiency is disorders of the nervous system and brain function. In adults, thiamine deficiency causes a disease called Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakov syndrome, which are characterized by confusion, decreased ability to acquire information, and coordination disorders.

Early symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency may include:

• anorexia
• weight loss
• mental changes
• muscle weakness

Mild thiamine deficiency usually manifests itself in:

• exhaustion
• memory impairment
• depression
• coordination disorders
• muscle weakness
• in the form of vague pains

In children, symptoms appear more quickly, are generally more severe, and can lead to heart failure.