Call it vitamin B1 or thiamine. Benefits of thiamine include the following.
1. The sulfur (thia) and nitrogen ( amin ) compound, the first of the B vitamins to be isolated and identified, helps ensure a healthy appetite for us.
2. It acts as a coenzyme ( a substance that works along with other enzymes ) essential to at least four different processes by which your body extracts energy from carbohydrates.
3. Vitamin B1 is also a bit diuretic (something that makes you urinate more).
Thiamine deficiency causes Beriberi in parts of the world where polished rice and unenriched white flour are predominantly eaten.
Beriberi has three basic expressions:
Childhood: Childhood beriberi checks growth in infants and children.
Wet: Wet beriberi causes swelling because of fluid retention in the lower limbs that gradually spreads to upper body part, gradually affecting heart.
Dry: Dry beriberi affects peripheral nerves , starting with tingling or burning sensation in the lower limbs and progressing to nerve degeneration, muscle wasting and weight loss.
Thiamine deficiency occurs in people with heavy alcohol consumption and is called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. It is due to a poor food intake and by decreased absorption and increased excretion caused by alcohol consumption.
Sources of thiamine:
Unrefined cereals and grains
Lean pork
Beans, nuts and seeds
Thiamine supplement is prescribed under severe thiamine deficiency symptoms.