Essay about Vitamin B1

Vitamin B-1, also known as thiamine, is the first B vitamin to be discovered. Its chemical formula is C12H17N4OS. The “structure consists of an aminopyrimidine and a thiazole ring linked by a methylene bridge. The thiazole is substituted with methyl and hydroxyethyl side chains” (Libretexts, 2020, paras. 8). Other vitamins with similar structures include the natural derivatives of thiamine and vitamin d3. 

Vitamin B1 is soluble in water, methanol, and glycerol. It can be used as a catalyst for benzoin condensation in place of cyanide. Though thiamine is unstable to heat and when exposed to ultraviolet light and gamma irradiation, it is stable during frozen storage. (Libretexts, 2020)

Background

The presence of thiamine was discovered in Japan by Kanehiro Takaki, who was a surgeon general in the Japanese navy, in 1896 (Schneider & Egger, 2006). This discovery came when he noticed a correlation between diet and the presence of beriberi, a thiamine deficiency-induced sickness. This observation was that when white rice was substituted for meats, vegetables, and barley there were lower cases of beriberi on a ship (Libretexts, 2020). Though not appreciated at the time of the discovery, Takaki was later promoted for his contribution to the discovery when evidence of barely being a natural anti-beriberi due to what was later named, thiamine. As a result of this discovery, Takaki was nicknamed the “Barely Baron” (Libretexts, 2020).

Significance in the Human body

Vitamin B1 plays crucial roles throughout the body. One of the most important roles is its presence in ATP production (Bowman, 2018). Certain metabolism reactions such as metabolism for fatty acids, amino acids, nucleic acids, myelin, and neurotransmitters need thiamine to function (Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Mount Sinai, Mallone et al., 2020).  Furthermore, all tissues of the body are reliant on nutrition from vitamin B1 to function properly (Bowman, 2018). One reason for the body’s need for thiamine is that it runs parallel with blood retentivity (Starling-Soares et al., 2020). It is known to be effective in modulating the repair and maintenance of lipids and myelin (Mallone et al., 2020). 

Though vital, vitamin B1 is water-soluble so it cannot be stored by the body. Thus, dietary sources that contain thiamine are important and are needed daily. According to the National Academy of Sciences the daily value of recommended thiamine intake, also known as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), for adults are for men 1.2 mg/day, for women 1.1 mg/day. For infants up to 1 year the Adequate Intake (AI) is 0.2-0.3 mg/day. With children ages 1–13 years, the RDA for thiamine increases with age from 0.5 to 0.9 mg/day. Starting from 14 years of age men and women RDAs are separate. The RDA for women 1 mg/day and men 1.2mg/day. Some circumstances require an increased RDA. For example, the RDA for pregnant and breastfeeding women; is 1.4 mg/day (Libretexts, 2020, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Mount Sinai). 

Many plants and animals contain vitamin B1. As such meeting the RDA for thiamine is simple. Some dietary sources of thiamine include meats such as beef, pork, and poultry. Other sources for them vegans, veterans, and plant killers include yeast, whole grains, and unpolished rice as polished rice loses most of the nutrient thiamine (Bowman, 2018). 

Deficiency

When the body is deficient in thiamine systems such as the heart, brain, and nervous system can be affected (Bowman, 2018). Vitamin B1 deficiency causes sicknesses including beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. It is also associated with heart failure and depression (Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Mount Sinai). Symptoms of thiamine deficiency include nausea, headaches, and abdominal discomfort. Abdominal discomfort could be from the fact that some people that have a thiamine deficiency also have trouble when digesting carbohydrates. “This allows a substance called pyruvic acid to build up in the bloodstream, causing a loss of mental alertness, difficulty breathing, and heart damage, a disease known as beriberi” (Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Mount Sinai paras. 6). 

On the opposite hand intaking to much thiamine does not greatly affect the body. As thiamine is non-toxic and generally safe there are no negative effects to the body unless taken in very high doses. This would result in an imbalance and an upset stomach (Libretexts, 2020). Another result of excess thiamine is that thiamine, as the natural substrate of Thi7, a thiamine transporter, will inhibit THI7 gene expression (Savocco et al., 2019 p. 7). However, some studies have been done researching the use of high doses of thiamine to help patients with medical issues such as relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, RRMS (Mallone et al., 2020). 

References

Intext (author p/paras.)

Savocco, J., Nootens, S., Afokpa, W., Bausart, M., Chen, X., Villers, J., Renard, H. F., Prévost, M., Wattiez, R., & Morsomme, P. (2019). Yeast α-arrestin Art2 is the key regulator of ubiquitylation-dependent endocytosis of plasma membrane vitamin B1 transporters. PLOS Biology, 17(10), e3000512. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000512 (Savocco et al, 2019)

Mallone, F., Lucchino, L., Franzone, F., Marenco, M., Carlesimo, S. C., & Moramarco, A. (2020). High-dose vitamin B supplementation for persistent visual deficit in multiple sclerosis: a pilot study. Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics, 14(3), 122–128. https://doi.org/10.5582/ddt.2020.03031 (Mallone et al, 2020)

Starling-Soares, B., Carrera-Bastos, P., & Bettendorff, L. (2020). Role of the Synthetic B1 Vitamin Sulbutiamine on Health. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2020, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9349063 (Starling-Soares et al, 2020)

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine). Mount Sinai Health System. (n.d.). https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/vitamin-b1-thiamine.  (Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Mount Sinai)

Schneider, M., & Egger, N. (2006). History of a Vitamin. The Hospitalist. Retrieved from https://doi.org/https://www.the-hospitalist.org/hospitalist/article/123237/history-vitamin (Schneider & Egger, 2006)

Schrader, G. A., & Prickett, C. O. (1938). The Influence of the Diet and Energy Intake upon Acute Vitamin B1 Deficiency in the Rat. The Journal of Nutrition, 15(6), 607–620. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/15.6.607 (Schrader & Prickett, 1938)

Libretexts. (2020, August 14). Vitamin B1 (Thiamine). Medicine LibreTexts. https://med.libretexts.org/Courses/Dominican_University/DU_Bio_1550%3A_Nutrition_(LoPresto)/7%3A_Vitamins/7.3%3A_Water_Soluble_Vitamins/Vitamin_B1 (Libretexts, 2020)

Bowman, J. (2018, September 29). What Does Vitamin B-1 Do? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/vitamin-watch-b1-thiamine.  (Bowman, 2018)