Also as Thiamine known, counts Vitamin B1 to the vitamins essential for the human body. The vitamin is also one of the longest known vitamins in research.
How vitamin B1 works
Vitamin B1 is important for the energy metabolism and the intact functioning of the nervous system - among other things, it is involved in the development of nerve cells.
Vitamin B1 is found throughout the body - including organs and muscles. Colloquially, vitamin B1 is also known as the mood vitamin.
The water-soluble vitamin B1 is ingested with food, but cannot be stored in large quantities by the body - excess vitamin B1 is excreted in the urine. Vitamin B1 has a characteristic odor.
meaning
As an important building block for the carbohydrate metabolism, vitamin B1 serves, among other things, for an intact cardiovascular system. Vitamin B1 deficiency can manifest itself in symptoms such as cardiovascular disorders associated with loss of appetite and fatigue. Thiamine also supports the production of antibodies during acute infectious diseases.
A disease that occurs frequently in developing countries and is based on a lack of vitamin B1 is the so-called Beri-Beri disease: Discovered by a Dutch doctor on Java, the disease shows typical symptoms such as heart failure and disorders of nerve functions such as nerve paralysis or tremors .
Vitamin B1 deficiency symptoms were found more frequently in parts of the Asian population who mainly eat rice after peeling machines had established themselves in rice preparation: rice husks in particular are among the vitamin B1 suppliers.
Athletes who eat mainly high-carbohydrate foods show an increased need for vitamin B1, which promotes the corresponding metabolism. A deficiency in vitamin B1 can lead to an increased production of lactic acid, which hardens the muscles and makes them less efficient. Above all for endurance athletes, a sufficient supply of vitamin B1 through food is important - among other things to maintain the energy balance.
Vitamin B1 is also offered as a nutritional supplement in medicinal form in retail for athletes' needs or in online pharmacies; these are, for example, fat-soluble variants of vitamin B1, which should be easily absorbed by the body tissue.
In addition, vitamin B1 can be injected into the muscle - if the dosage is too high, however, undesirable side effects can occur: In animal studies, these have been shown, for example, in the form of shock or shortness of breath.
Occurrence in food
Vitamin B1 is found in plant-based and animal foods. It can be found particularly rich in whole grain products or in pork - the former mainly include wheat germ, legumes or seeds such as sunflower seeds. Compressed baker's yeast also contains a large amount of vitamin B1.
Grain products such as white bread made from finely ground flour no longer contain any vitamin B1, as the wheat germ is destroyed during the grinding process. Long cooking and UV rays have a negative effect on the concentration of vitamin B1 in food - storage should therefore be protected from light and heat.
As a rule, Germany is not one of the countries that are affected by a high level of vitamin B1 deficiency, which is why it is rarely necessary to take the vitamin through dietary supplements. However, due to the body's limited ability to store vitamin B1, regular intake through food is important.
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