VITAMIN B1
Vitamin B1 is one of the eight B vitamins known as thiamin (thiamine). Because thiamin can only be stored in the body for a short time before it is readily excreted, a regular dietary intake of thiamin is necessary to maintain proper blood levels. During energy metabolism, thiamin plays a critical role in the human body. In the human body, thiamin exists mainly in the form of thiamin diphosphate (TDP), also known as thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP). This is the main metabolic form of thiamin and serves as a cofactor for many enzymes during the metabolism of glucose, proteins, and lipids.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) is an essential micronutrient responsible for key reactions involved in the conversion of the foods we consume into the chemical energy substrate requisite for cellular function, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). All kinds of metabolic functions become disturbed when there is not enough ATP present, which results in all modern illnesses. Chronic inflammation, altered immune function, hormone dysregulation, cognitive and mood disorders, and dysautonomias, all can be traced back to insufficient thiamine which leads to inefficient mitochondrial function.
Among the most common but least well-recognized contributors to thiamine deficiency is the regular consumption of a high carbohydrate/highly processed food diet. Although most of these foods are enriched or fortified with thiamine, perhaps staving off more severe deficiencies, the density of sugars overwhelms mitochondrial capacity to process these foods, both the thiamine and any other potential nutrients are excreted, while the carbohydrates themselves are stored as fat for future use. High-calorie malnutrition is a common contributor to thiamine deficiency in obesity but also may develop in presumed healthy athletes whose diets focus heavily on high carbohydrate intake.
- You need TWICE as much thiamin to burn carbs as you need to burn fat.
- No other B vitamin has such a special role in burning carbs.
Functions:
- Oxalates are mineralized crystals of sorts that tend to build up and store in places like the kidneys (kidney stones), but also may store and cause problems anywhere in the body like bones, arteries, eyes, heart, and nerves. Effective oxalate metabolism and clearance require thiamine.
- It helps protect us from oxidative stress. This is the wear and tear on our tissues that happen as we age. It gets worse with metabolic diseases like diabetes, or exposure to toxins like alcohol and cigarette smoke.
- It helps us recycle other vitamins, like vitamin K and folate.
- It helps in detoxification.
- We use it to synthesize a lot of different things. For example, fats, cholesterol, and the building blocks of our DNA.
Sources:
- Nutritional Yeast
- Red Meat
- Eggs
- Organ Meat
- White mushrooms
- Sweet potato
Few causes of thiamin deficiency:
- Gastrointestinal diseases hurt thiamin absorption.
- Medications both block nutrient uptake and/or increase the need for nutrients by inducing mitochondrial damage.
- Persistent vomiting causes us to lose thiamin in the vomit.
- Liver diseases hurt thiamin storage.
- Alcohol abuse hurts its absorption, its storage in the liver, and its activation for use with our enzymes.
- HIV/AIDS patients, anorexics, and hunger strikers are at high risk.
Supplementation:
- Thiamin has no known toxicity. This means that it's very safe to play around with thiamin supplements.
- Thiamin hydrochloride or thiamin HCl is the cheapest and most common.
- Benfotiamine is more expensive. It's thought to be better at getting into the nervous system.
- Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) is the activated form. In theory, it could be more effective for people who have energy problems (thyroid, low adrenals, diabetes).
