Thiamin �?Vitamin B1


Protect the health of your heart and nerves, all while boosting your
mood. Thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, is used by the body to pump
blood in and out of the heart, as well as help prevent diseases that
affect the nerves. However, the most tangible benefit you'll likely
experience is a positive change in your mood�?BR>
What Is Thiamin?
Otherwise known as vitamin B1, thiamin was the very first B-vitamin
discovered. As a part of that family, thiamin is mainly involved in
energy metabolism �?turning the foods you eat into a useable energy
source for the body, otherwise known as ATP (adenosine
triphosphate). All of the b-vitamins work together to produce ATP,
and each different vitamin is also involved in more specific aspects
of the human body. Thiamin helps support healthy nerves and a
healthy heart, may positively influence mood, and may also be a
useful tool for soothing heartburn.

How Does Thiamin Work?
Besides playing an important role in the breakdown, or metabolism,
of carbohydrates, fats and protein, thiamin is also very important
to maintaining heart health. The human heart pumps blood in and out
of its chambers numerous times a day, feeding blood through vessels
to the various parts of the human body �?it is our hardest working
organ.


In fact, thiamin may be helpful to people suffering from congestive
heart failure (CHF), as it has been shown to improve the
heart's "pumping power." Thiamin has been found in very low levels
in those with CHF, as long-term use of diuretic drugs, which are
often prescribed to those patients, deplete the body's storage of
thiamin. One study of CHF patients on diuretics showed that taking
200mg of thiamin each day for six weeks improved the heart's pumping
power by 22%.

Not only does thiamin help support a healthy working heart, it also
helps promote nerve health throughout the body. Although there are a
number of diseases that affect nerve health, diabetics especially
suffer from nerve damage if the disease is uncontrolled, resulting
in a numbing of the extremities, usually detected first as a
tingling in the hands and/or feet. Thiamin may be used to support
nerve health, and minimize numbness and tingling, helping to protect
against this condition.

Mood disorders may also find assistance in the use of thiamin to
boost mood, even when the vitamin is not deficient in the body. One
study of a group of college-age women who were not deficient in
thiamin reported improved mood, energy and alertness after just two
months of taking 50mg of thiamin a day.


And yet another study showed that taking 10mg of thiamin each day
for three months improved energy levels in the elderly, along with
lowered blood pressure, healthy weight loss and an improved quality
of sleep. Some reports even go so far as to claim that thiamin may
be helpful in treating the memory loss associated with Alzheimer's
disease, although this has not been proven.

How Can I Make The Most Out Of Thiamin?
The RDA for thiamin is 1.1 mg/day for women and 1.2 mg/day for men.
The doses mentioned above are for therapeutic reasons, and must be
administered by a physician.

The body requires a steady dose of thiamin each day to function
properly, although most people get enough in their diet. Deficiency
can have a negative effect on mood disorders, including increased
irritability and depression, as well as result in increased weight
loss and muscle fatigue. Severe deficiency results in a condition
known as beriberi, a condition resulting in nerve damage, muscle
loss, loss of mental abilities, paralysis and eventually death.


Since thiamin is a water-soluble vitamin, any excess that is taken
in and isn't used by the body, will simply be excreted in the urine,
so toxicity is not a concern.

Thiamin is added back to milled foods (known as "enriching") to
prevent deficiency and it is advised that you eat a variety of foods
to ensure healthy intake of all nutrients. Thiamin is found
specifically in enriched grain products, dried bean, nuts, seeds,
lean pork and whole grains. Be aware that drinking diuretics, such
as coffee, tea, or soda, can deplete thiamin stores, so it is
important to drink those in moderation, or take extra thiamin.