Vitamin B1 is a member of the B-vitamin family and an important coenzyme. Vitamin B1 will help the body convert food into energy. It also assists in manufacturing fat and metabolizing protein. Thiamine is necessary to maintain normal function in the nervous system.
Vitamin B1, also known as Thiamine or Thiamin, is a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex. Water-soluble means it can dissolve in water. We need vitamin B1 so that our body can use carbohydrates as energy – it is essential for glucose metabolism. Vitamin B1 also plays a key role in nerve, muscle, and heart function.
There are two types of vitamins – water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins are carried through the bloodstream. Whatever our bodies do not use up will be eliminated in urine. Therefore, we need a continuous supply of vitamin B1 – we need to be consuming it daily.
Vitamin B1 is important in energy production
Our understanding of vitamin B1 and its relationship to energy deprivation has carried over into our approach to other health problems (like alcoholism) in which vitamin B1 deficiency plays a critical role.
Like all Vitamin B’s, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) is involved in the energy production system of the body. Vitamin B1 operates in the initial stage of cellular respiration enabling the breakdown of glucose into carbon dioxide and water.
When sugar mixes with vitamin B1, it becomes energy for your body to use. B1 helps make this process faster while supporting the other enzymes.
Most cells in the body depend on sugar as an energy source. When oxygen converts sugar into usable energy, we call the process of energy generation aerobic energy production. This process cannot take place without adequate supplies of vitamin B1, since B1 is part of an enzyme system (called the pyruvate dehydrogenase system) that enables oxygen-based processing of sugar.
When vitamin B1 functions in this energy-production capacity, it is usually present in the form of TDP, or thiamin diphosphate. Other forms of vitamin B1, including TPP (thiamin pyrophosphate) and TMP (thiamin monophosphate), are also important in energy production.
Because vitamin B1 is so important in energy production, and because we usually measure food energy in terms of calories, vitamin B1 is often in relation to caloric intake. For example, recommendations sometimes suggest an intake of 0.5 milligrams of B1 for every 1,000 calories consumed.
Vitamin B1 plays a key role in the nervous system
Vitamin B1 also plays a key role in support of the nervous system, where it permits healthy development of the fat-like coverings that surround most nerves (called myelin sheaths). In the absence of vitamin B1, these coverings can degenerate or become damaged. Pain, prickly sensations, and nerve deadening are those nerve-related symptoms that can result from vitamin B1 deficiency.
Vitamin B1 is important to the central nervous system because it aids in the synthesis of acetylcholine. This vitamin works as a cofactor with acetyl-CoA, a molecule responsible for lipid metabolism, to produce this neurotransmitter.
The second type of connection between vitamin B1 and the nervous system involves its role in the production of the messaging molecule acetylcholine. This molecule called a neurotransmitter, is used by the nervous system to relay messages between the nerves and muscles. Acetylcholine cannot be produced without adequate supplies of vitamin B1. Because the nervous system uses acetylcholine to ensure proper muscle tone in the heart, a deficiency of B1 can also result in compromised heart function.
Without the production of acetylcholine aided by vitamin B1, fatigue, and poor short-term memory could ensue. To help give your central nervous system a boost, a healthy dose of foods rich in Vitamin B1 could significantly help!
People with vitamin B1 deficiency can develop Beriberi, a disease characterized by heart, nerve, and digestive disorders.
Some patients take thiamine for thiamine deficiency syndromes. When their levels of vitamin B1 are too low, including those with beriberi, or pellagra (a vitamin-deficiency disease).
Patients with ulcerative colitis, persistent diarrhea, and poor appetite may also need to take thiamine.
Vitamin B1 may play a role in the prevention or treatment of the following health conditions: Alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, Congestive heart failure, and Depression.
Multivitamin for Men includes everything that a man needs and You have only one tablet to take and swallow.
17 thoughts on “How does vitamin B1 (Thiamine) help your body?”
Comments are closed.