Tiếng ViệtVitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is a water-soluble vitamin that is easily denatured under the influence of light, air and temperature. In contrast to fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins do not accumulate in the body, so symptoms of deficiency often occur early. Thiamine deficiency is increasingly recognized as an important problem in low- and middle-income countries due to diet, lifestyle habits and living standards.
1. General roles of Vitamin B1
The most important role of vitamin B1 is to participate in glucose and energy metabolism. Vitamin B1 is a precursor of thiamin diphosphate – a coenzyme for more than 20 specific enzymes involved in cellular bio-energy metabolism for ATP synthesis. Furthermore, these enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of pentose (required for the synthesis of nucleotides), amino acids and other organic compounds of cellular metabolism.
Vitamin B1 also plays a role in the transmission of nerve impulses: regulating the transmission of nerve impulses, synthesizing neurotransmitters that stimulate mental activity and memory.
Common symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency are anorexia, fatigue, panic attacks, constipation, neurological disorders such as polyneuritis, convulsions, lactic acidosis or muscle paralysis, etc. More severe thiamine deficiency has been associated with Beri-berium disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, and other diseases of the nervous system.
2. Sources of vitamin B1
The body cannot synthesise vitamin B1. To meet metabolic needs, it is necessary to provide the body with an adequate amount from the diet.
The need for vitamin B1 varies and depends on body weight, age, sex, type of work and physiological state of the body because thiamine is involved in energy metabolism.
According to the National Institute of Nutrition, the recommended dose of thiamine ranges from 0.5 to 1.3 mg/day. Newborns have the lowest thiamine requirements, while nursing women have the highest. The recommended daily dose (RDA) for men is 1.2-1.4 mg and for women is 1.0-1.1 mg.
In addition to the main dietary source, thiamine can be synthesised by the intestinal microflora. The most abundant food ingredients in thiamine are whole grain breads (whole flour, rye, sunflower), meat, legumes, products containing bran cereals, as well as products prepared using yeast.
3. Subjects at risk of vitamin B1 deficiency
People who eat a lot of refined, processed starch: Vitamin B1 is abundant in the outer membrane of rice bran. Thiamine is also easily changed by external factors such as light, temperature and air. Therefore, in places where white rice is eaten, milled too well or after the ripe rice season is flooded for a long time, people are susceptible to vitamin B1 deficiency.
People with a low-meat-fish diet: Vitamin B1 is abundant in lean meat and animal viscera. Therefore, diets low in animal protein are also at risk of vitamin B1 deficiency.
Chronic alcoholism: ethanol in alcohol reduces the absorption of vitamin B1 in the intestine and changes vitamin metabolism due to damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa, increasing vitamin excretion through renal excretion. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is common in people with long-term alcohol consumption leading to vitamin B1 deficiency.
Pregnant and lactating women in low- and middle-income countries: especially in South and Southeast Asia, poor diets and increased thiamine requirements during this period lead to vitamin B1 deficiency for both mother and infant. Mothers who are deficient in vitamin B1 will also have children with vitamin B1 deficiency because vitamin B1 is not enough to be secreted into milk. Studies show that vitamin B1 supplementation for pregnant and lactating women reduces infant mortality.
People who use diuretics for a long time or on hemodialysis: may lose thiamine through excretion.
Long-term parenteral nutrition: patients who are completely dependent on parenteral nutrition are at risk of vitamin B1 deficiency if the nutritional formula is not fortified with vitamin B1.
Poor absorption of vitamin B1 due to:
+ Gastrointestinal surgery
+ Malnutrition
+ Long-lasting anorexia
References:
[1] Pham Van Phu, Basic Nutrition. Medical Publishing House, 2016 [2] T. J. Smith et al., “Thiamine deficiency disorders: a clinical perspective”, Ann N Y Acad Sci, vol 1498, p.h 1, pp. 9–28, August 2021, doi: 10.1111/nyas.14536. [3] A. Tylicki and M. Siemieniuk, “Thiamine and its derivatives in the regulation of cell metabolism”, Postepy Hig Med Dosw, vol 65, pp 447–469, July 2011, doi: 10.5604/17322693.951633.
Article source: Nutrition Research and Development Institute (https://inrd.vn/)
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