Your guide to thiamine deficiency

Thiamine is another name for vitamin B1, an essential vitamin in some foods and dietary supplements. The body can’t make thiamine for itself, so you need to consume it from external sources. Thiamine is important for the growth, development, and functioning of your cells.

If you don’t get enough thiamine from your diet, you might develop a deficiency. This can also be due to different medical conditions. In severe cases, doctors refer to it as beriberi.

The symptoms of thiamine deficiency can affect all parts of your body.

—————-

Need a diagnosis or prescription quickly? Optum Perks offers personalized on-demand care in as little as 15 minutes. For $29, answer a few questions online and receive a diagnosis and treatment plan from a US-licensed healthcare professional. Get started here.

Symptoms of thiamine deficiency

Because thiamine is so important for cell function and energy creation, it can have a wide range of effects throughout your body. In mild cases, you might not notice any symptoms. However, severe, prolonged deficiency can have severe effects.

Some of the symptoms may include:

• Metabolic symptoms: Thiamine plays an important role in the metabolism of different foods. In the long term, a thiamine deficiency can lead to an energy deficit that can cause malnutrition, appetite loss, and weight loss.
• Neurological symptoms: Issues with your metabolism can affect the energy supply to your neurons and raise oxidative stress. This can cause symptoms like nerve pain, weakness, clumsiness, involuntary eye movements, and problems with thinking.
• Cardiovascular symptoms: Thiamine deficiency may affect how your heart functions. It can eventually lead to hypertension, edema (swelling) in your lower limbs, and heart failure.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms: Thiamine deficiency’s effects on your digestive system may cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, and anorexia.
• Musculoskeletal symptoms: With prolonged thiamine deficiency, you might notice a great loss of muscle mass that comes with weakness and nerve pain.

As these symptoms are very wide-ranging, they might be mistaken for other conditions. If you think you may have a thiamine deficiency, talk with a doctor and consider incorporating more thiamine into your diet.

Causes of thiamine deficiency

Globally, the biggest cause of thiamine deficiency is a lack of access to varied food. It’s particularly common in places where the primary food source is grains like rice, which is low in thiamine. The condition is rare in populations with access to a wide variety of thiamine-rich foods.

That said, thiamine deficiency can still develop in other populations. Certain risk factors can make this more likely, such as having:

• alcohol use disorder
• older age
• HIV or stage 3 HIV
• diabetes

Being pregnant or lactating may also increase your risk of thiamine deficiency as your body needs more of the nutrient during this period. Certain medications, including diuretics, might also cause thiamine deficiency.

Managing thiamine deficiency

As the symptoms of thiamine deficiency may look many other conditions, it can be difficult to diagnose. However, laboratory tests can accurately diagnose the condition. If these tests aren’t available, experts encourage early intervention with thiamine supplementation anyway, especially as thiamine is generally well-tolerated.

With the right treatment, thiamine deficiency can go away completely. Treatment is also usually straightforward.

For severe thiamine deficiency that’s causing cardiovascular or neurological symptoms treatment is 200 milligrams (mg) of thiamine 3 times per day delivered either through an injection or taken orally. This should be continued until your symptoms go away.

If you suspect you may have mild thiamine deficiency, vitamin B1 supplements are available over the counter (OTC). Certain multivitamins also contain thiamine.

————-

If you need help covering the cost of medications, the free Optum Perks Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Plus, you can now get them delivered to your home in as little as 3 days. Search for your medication here.

Preventing thiamine deficiency

The best way to prevent thiamine deficiency is to make sure you get adequate intake in your diet or through OTC supplements. The recommended dietary allowances of thiamine per day are:

The recommendations are slightly higher during pregnancy and lactation, at 1.4 mg. There’s no upper limit for how much thiamine you can eat as it’s unlikely to cause adverse effects.

You can usually reach your recommended intake of thiamine in your regular diet. Many foods and infant formulas in the United States have also been fortified with thiamine. Foods that are high in thiamine include:

• pork chops
• whole wheat bread
• fortified cereals
• fortified rice
• black beans
• sunflower seeds

Summary

Thiamine deficiency is rare in populations with access to a wide variety of foods and nutrients. However, some people may be more likely to develop it even with a varied diet, such as those with alcohol use disorder or who are pregnant.

Severe, prolonged thiamine deficiency can affect all parts of your body and health. It can cause cardiovascular symptoms, like hypertension, or neurological symptoms, like nerve pain or confusion. It can also cause vomiting, weight loss, and stomach pain.

In these cases, the preferred treatment is giving thiamine intravenously or orally until symptoms go away. However, the best treatment is prevention. Making sure you get enough thiamine from your diet or through dietary supplements can help prevent deficiency.

—————

Download the free Optum Perks Discount Card to save up to 80% on many prescription medications. Plus, you can now get them delivered to your home in as little as 3 days. Search for your medication here.