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Vitamin B1, also known as thiamin, is a vitamin that is essential to the diet, as it is responsible for carbohydrate metabolism. It acts as a catalyst and speeds up the process for turning carbohydrates into energy. Carbohydrate metabolism is the body's way of turning carbohydrates into energy that supports everyday bodily function. In fact, glucose is the body's preferred source of energy and glucose can be derived mostly from carbohydrates. Thiamin is primarily composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and chlorine. The vitamin serves to keep cardiovascular, nervous, and cerebral systems functioning correctly.
Thiamin can be found mainly in enriched and whole grains, such as pasta, bread, and rice. However, thiamin can be found in a variety of foods, so it is not only exclusive to just grain foods. Pork, seafood, nuts, and legumes, like black beans, are also great sources of thiamin. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for males 14 years or older is 1.2 mg a day, and for females 19 years or older is 1.1 mg a day. The RDA increases for females who are pregnant or lactating to 1.4 mg a day. To ensure adequate intake of thiamin, it is important to have a balanced diet that includes all food groups in proper amounts. To learn more about what a balanced plate looks like, refer to www.myplate.gov/ .
Deficiency
Deficiency
A deficiency in thiamin can result in mental confusion, mood swings, central nervous and cardiovascular impairment, and extreme weight loss. Thiamin deficiencies are very rare and primarily occur in people with alcoholism, due to alcohol increasing thiamin requirement. People who are alcoholics tend to have poor diet and eat very little in a day, which also means that they are not meeting the required amount of thiamin needed to support their body. This can lead to conditions, such as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, which is a condition that causes mental confusion, rapid eye movement, and uncoordinated movement that causes muscles to move in a disorderly way. Beriberi is another condition that can develop from thiamin deficiency. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, resulting in edema, rapid heartbeat, an enlarged heart, pain in calf muscles, and peripheral paralysis. Dry beriberi affects the central nervous system and targets mostly the body's muscles, resulting in muscles to waste away, weakness, and a decrease in reflexes. More information and detail of other diseases and conditions related to thiamin deficiencies can be found on the NIH Thiamin Fact Sheet.
Toxicity
Toxicity
Due to no scientific evidence or clinical study pointing towards an excessive limit of how much thiamin the body can utilize, there is no established tolerable upper intake level (UL).
Oral Manifestations
Oral Manifestations
A deficiency of thiamin can lead to loss of taste and a decrease in appetite. It can also result in the condition, Angular Cheilosis, which is inflammation and dry cracks formed around the mouth. Along with the soft tissues of the oral cavity being affected, ulcerations and a burning sensation of the tongue can occur due to lack of thiamin in diet.
*** Disclaimer: This Website is for educational purposes only, not used for diagnosis or treatment in any way. The opinions on this site do not reflect the opinions of Savannah Technical College or the Savannah Technical College Dental Hygiene Department. ***
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