Thiamine Deficiency or Losing Your Mind?

Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency has been linked to memory loss, irritability, nervous system disorders, seizures and a host of other problems. Our bodies only need a small amount of thiamine each day, but since it's a water soluble vitamin the body does not store it. Thiamine must be replaced each day.

Thiamine's effect on the brain and nervous system can be significant. A massive deficiency can lead to lack of coordination of the arms and legs, paralysis of the eye muscles, amnesia, coma and eventually death.

A mild deficiency can lead to depression, insomnia, lack of concentration, irritability and often these symptoms are misdiagnosed as senility or dementia.

One Japanese study found that rats put on a thiamine deficient diet couldn't find their way through a maze after only 20 days on the diet. The rats who did make it through the maze took 3 times as long as rats on a thiamine rich diet.

Another Japanese study also reported giving several heart patients an extra dose of thiamine for 10 days before open heart surgery. Those who took thiamine had less heart spasms during the procedure than those who didn't take thiamine.

A study published in the International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research found that elderly patients who suffered dementia, loss of appetite and irritability were deficient in thiamine.

Research has not proven that a thiamine deficiency causes cancer but the European Journal of Cancer has reported that a high dose of thiamine treats the disease.

Thiamine is also beneficial to eye health and may return certain vision problems to normal, especially vision problems that have been brought on by seizure medications.

The daily requirement for thiamine is relatively low, but often in our diet it's hard to get enough. Chlorine destroys thiamine and most foods are cooked in chlorinated water. Over-cooking foods can destroy thiamine too because it's very sensitive to heat.

Drinking coffee in excess also destroys thiamine and tea isn't any better. It's not the caffeine that destroys the vitamin either, it's a compound known as chlorogenic acid and it's also in decaf, so switching to decaf would be of no benefit.

Thiamine is essential in carbohydrate digestion. When carbohydrates are digested the body turns them into simple sugars which are fuel for the brain. When a thiamine deficiency is present the brain doesn't get enough blood sugar. Lack of blood sugar metabolism also causes acids to build up in the blood stream which irritates the nervous system causing many problems mentioned above.

The daily intake of thiamine is only about 1.0 - 1.5 milligrams a day, but since it is water-soluble it does need to be replaced daily.