Also known as thiamine, vitamin B1 is one of the vitamins vital to the human body. Likewise, the vitamin is one of the longest known vitamins in research.
Mode of action of vitamin B1
Also known as thiamine, vitamin B1 is one of the vitamins vital to the human body. It is particularly abundant in whole grain products or pork.
Vitamin B1 is important for energy metabolism and the intact functioning of the nervous system – among other things, it is involved in building nerve cells.
Vitamin B1 is found throughout the body – in organs and muscles, among other places. Vitamin B1 is also known colloquially as the mood vitamin.
The water-soluble vitamin B1 is absorbed with food, but cannot be stored in large quantities by the body – excess vitamin B1 is excreted in the urine. Vitamin B1 has a characteristic odor.
Importance
As an important building block for carbohydrate metabolism, vitamin B1 serves an intact cardiovascular system, among other things. Vitamin B1 deficiency can manifest itself, among other things, in symptoms such as cardiovascular disorders associated with loss of appetite and fatigue. Thiamine also supports the production of antibodies during acute infectious diseases.
A disease that occurs frequently, especially in developing countries, and is based on the deficiency of vitamin B1 is the so-called Beri Beri disease: discovered on Java by a Dutch doctor, the disease shows typical symptoms such as cardiac insufficiency and disturbances of nerve functions such as nerve paralysis or tremors.
Vitamin B1 deficiency symptoms were found to be more frequent in parts of the Asian population that mainly feed on rice, after husking machines had become established in rice preparation: The rice husks in particular are among the sources of vitamin B1.
Athletes who eat a diet primarily rich in carbohydrates show an increased need for vitamin B1, which promotes the corresponding metabolism. A deficiency of vitamin B1 can lead to increased production of lactic acid, which hardens the muscles, making them less efficient. Especially for endurance athletes – among other things to maintain the energy balance – a sufficient supply of vitamin B1 through the diet is important.
In the trade for sportsmen’s supplies or in online pharmacies, vitamin B1 is also offered as dietary supplements in pharmaceutical form; these are, for example, fat-soluble variants of vitamin B1, which should be easily absorbed by the body tissues.
In addition, vitamin B1 can be injected into the muscle – although undesirable side effects can occur if the dosage is too high: In animal studies, such appeared, for example, in the form of shock or respiratory distress.
Occurrence in food
Vitamin B1 is found in plant and animal foods. It is particularly abundant in whole grain products or pork – the former include wheat germ, legumes or seeds such as sunflower seeds. Vitamin B1 is also found in fairly high levels in compressed baker’s yeast.
Cereal products such as light bread made from finely milled flour contain virtually no vitamin B1 because the wheat germ is destroyed during the milling process. Very long cooking and UV rays have a negative effect on the concentration of vitamin B1 in foods – storage should therefore be protected from light and heat.
Germany is generally not one of the countries affected by a high incidence of vitamin B1 deficiency, which is why intake of the vitamin via dietary supplements is rarely necessary. However, due to the body’s low storage capacity for vitamin B1, regular intake via food is important.
