What is the main cause of thiamine deficiency?

A diet consisting mainly of white flour, white sugar, and other highly processed carbohydrates can cause thiamin deficiency. At first, people have vague symptoms such as fatigue and irritability, but a severe deficiency (beriberi) can affect the nerves, muscles, heart, and brain.

What happens due to thiamine deficiency?

They include fatigue, irritability, poor memory, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, abdominal discomfort, and weight loss. Eventually, a severe thiamin deficiency (beriberi) may develop, characterized by nerve, heart, and brain abnormalities. Different forms of beriberi cause different symptoms.

What causes thiamine disease?

What is beriberi? Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B-1 deficiency, also known as thiamine deficiency. There are two types of the disease: wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the heart and circulatory system.

What are the side effects of thiamine?

Side effects of thiamine include:

  • warmth.
  • severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
  • skin discoloration.
  • sweating.
  • restlessness.
  • rapid swelling of the skin.
  • itching.
  • hives.

Does caffeine deplete vitamin B1?

Caffeine is a diuretic, which means that water-soluble vitamins, including B vitamins, are flushed out with increased urination. Furthermore, caffeine interferes with the metabolism of certain B vitamins, including thiamine.

Does thiamine make you sleepy?

In fact, many studies and cases have linked fatigue to thiamine deficiency ( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ). Although a vague symptom, fatigue is a common sign of thiamine deficiency and should not be disregarded.

Why do alcoholics get thiamine deficiency?

Thiamine deficiency is common in drinkers who consume excessive amounts of alcohol. This is due to: poor nutrition and the diet not containing enough essential vitamins. inflammation of the stomach lining due to excessive alcohol consumption, which reduces the body’s ability to absorb vitamins.

Is B12 the same as thiamine?

The B vitamins are: Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Pyridoxine (B6), Biotin (B7), Folate/Folic acid (B9) and Cobalamin (B12). What it does: Thiamine is an important cofactor in breaking down carbohydrates. It helps with protein synthesis and the production of neurotransmitters.

Is thiamine used for alcoholics?

Thiamine has no effect on the symptoms or signs of alcohol withdrawal or on the incidence of seizures or DTs. Routine use of thiamine is recommended because the development of Wernicke encephalopathy or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is disastrous in these patients and can remain unrecognized.

What happens if you have a deficiency of thiamine?

Deficiency of thiamine causes beriberi, in which anorexia, wasting, neurological pathology (motor and sensory polyneuropathy, amnesia, encephalopathy called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome), and cardiac arrhythmias may occur. This form is called “dry” beriberi (shoshin) and is associated with low cardiac output.

How does thiamine deficiency lead to beri-beri Korsakoff syndrome?

Additional factors that contribute to thiamine deficiency include hyperemesis gravidarum, gastric or small intestinal resection, and malabsorption syndromes. The precise mechanisms by which thiamine deficiencies lead to beri-beri and Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome are uncertain.

What foods can you eat with a thiamine deficiency?

The decline in thiamine deficiency seemed to be the combined effect of including parboiled rice (thiamine content higher than polished rice), 40 g of unilitho (blended food with a thiamine content of 0.1 mg per 100 g), a different variety of lentils and the continuation of vegetables (Clugston, 1994).

Who is at risk for vitamin B1 deficiency?

Our data suggest that hospitalized elderly are at increased risk for vitamin B1 deficiency especially when on a diuretic treatment. It is possible that a low dose thiamine supplementation my help to prevent the development of a subclinical wet-beriberi in older subjects on diuretics.