Thiamine

 Risk Factor: A*
 Class: VITAMINS

Contents of this page:

Fetal Risk Summary
Breast Feeding Summary
References
Questions and Answers

Fetal Risk Summary

Thiamine (vitamin B1), a water-soluble B complex vitamin, is an essential nutrient required for carbohydrate metabolism (1). The National Academy of Sciences' recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for thiamine in pregnancy is 1.5 mg (1).

Thiamine is actively transported to the fetus (2,3,4 and 5). Like other B complex vitamins, concentrations of thiamine in the fetus and newborn are higher than in the mother (4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and 11).

Maternal thiamine deficiency is common during pregnancy (11 and 12). Supplementation with multivitamin products reduces the thiamine hypovitaminemia only slightly (9). Since 1938, several authors have attempted to link this deficiency to toxemia of pregnancy (13,14,15 and 16). A 1945 paper summarized the early work published in this area (14). All of the reported cases, however, involved patients with poor nutrition and pregnancy care in general. More recent investigations have failed to find any relationship between maternal thiamine deficiency and toxemia, fetal defects, or other outcome of pregnancy (8,17).

No association was found between low birth weight and thiamine levels in a 1977 report (7). One group has shown experimentally, though, that the characteristic intrauterine growth retardation of the fetal alcohol syndrome may be caused by ethanol-induced thiamine deficiency (18).

Thiamine has been used to treat hyperemesis gravidarum, although pyridoxine (vitamin B6) was found to be more effective (see Pyridoxine) (19,20 and 21). In one early report, thiamine was effective in reversing severe neurologic complications associated with hyperemesis (19). A mother treated with frequent injections of thiamine and pyridoxine, 50 mg each/dose, for hyperemesis during the first half of two pregnancies delivered two infants with severe convulsions, one of whom died within 30 hours of birth (21). The convulsions in the mentally retarded second infant were eventually controlled with pyridoxine. Pyridoxine dependency-induced convulsions are rare. The authors speculated that the defect was caused by in utero exposure to high circulating levels of the vitamin. Thiamine was not thought to be involved (see Pyridoxine).

An isolated case report described an anencephalic fetus whose mother was under psychiatric care (22). She had been treated with very high doses of vitamins B1, B6, C, and folic acid. The relationship between the vitamins and the defect is unknown. Also unproven is the speculation by one researcher that an association exists between thiamine deficiency and Down's syndrome (trisomy 21) or preleukemic bone marrow changes (23).

[* Risk Factor C if used in doses above the RDA.]

Breast Feeding Summary

Thiamine (vitamin B1) is excreted into breast milk (24,25,26 and 27). One group of investigators supplemented well-nourished lactating women with a multivitamin preparation containing 1.7 mg of thiamine (24). At 6 months postpartum, milk concentrations of thiamine did not differ significantly from those of control patients not receiving supplements. In a study of lactating women with low nutritional status, supplementation with thiamine, 0.220.0 mg/day, resulted in mean milk concentrations of 125268 ng/mL (25). Milk concentrations were directly proportional to dietary intake. A 1983 English study measured thiamine levels in pooled human milk obtained from preterm (26 mothers: 2934 weeks) and term (35 mothers: 39 weeks or longer) patients (26). Milk obtained from preterm mothers rose from 23.7 ng/mL (colostrum) to 89.3 ng/mL (16196 days) while milk from term mothers increased during the same period from a level of 28.4 to 183 ng/mL.

In Asian mothers with severe thiamine deficiency, including some with beriberi, infants have become acutely ill after breast feeding, leading in some cases to convulsions and sudden death (28,29,30 and 31). Pneumonia was usually a characteristic finding. One author thought the condition was related to toxic intermediary metabolites, such as methylglyoxal, passing to the infant via the milk (28). Although a cause-and-effect relationship has not been proven, one report suggested that thiamine deficiency may aggravate the condition (29). Indian investigators measured very low thiamine milk levels in mothers of children with convulsions of unknown cause (32). Mean milk thiamine concentrations in mothers of healthy children were 111 ng/mL, whereas those in mothers of children with convulsions were 29 ng/mL. The authors were unable to establish an association between the low thiamine content in milk and infantile convulsions (see Pyridoxine for correlation between low levels of vitamin B6 and convulsions).

A 1992 case described the features of Shoshin beriberi in a 3-month-old breast-fed infant (33). Both the infant and the mother had biochemical evidence of thiamine deficiency. Clinical features in the infant included cardiac failure with vasoconstriction, hypotension, severe metabolic acidosis, and atypical grand-mal seizures. He responded quickly to thiamine and made an unremarkable recovery.

The National Academy of Sciences' RDA for thiamine during lactation is 1.6 mg (1). If the diet of the lactating woman adequately supplies this amount, maternal supplementation with thiamine is not needed (27). Supplementation with the RDA for thiamine is recommended for those women with inadequate nutritional intake. The American Academy of Pediatrics considers the maternal consumption of thiamine to be compatible with breast feeding (34).

References

1. American Hospital Formulary Service. Drug Information 1997. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1997:281820.
2. Frank O, Walbroehl G, Thomson A, Kaminetzky H, Kubes Z, Baker H. Placental transfer:fetal retention of some vitamins. Am J Clin Nutr 1970;23:6623.
3. Hill EP, Longo LD. Dynamics of maternal-fetal nutrient transfer. Fed Proc 1980;39:23944.
4. Kaminetzky HA, Baker H, Frank O, Langer A. The effects of intravenously administered water-soluble vitamins during labor in normovitaminemic and hypovitaminemic gravidas on maternal and neonatal blood vitamin levels at delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1974;120:697703.
5. Baker H, Frank O, Deangelis B, Feingold S, Kaminetzky HA. Role of placenta in maternal-fetal vitamin transfer in humans. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1981;141:7926.
6. Slobody LB, Willner MM, Mestern J. Comparison of vitamin B1 levels in mothers and their newborn infants. Am J Dis Child 1949;77:7369.
7. Baker H, Thind IS, Frank O, DeAngelis B, Caterini H, Lquria DB. Vitamin levels in low-birth-weight newborn infants and their mothers. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1977;129:5214.
8. Heller S, Salkeld RM, Korner WF. Vitamin B1 status in pregnancy. Am J Clin Nutr 1974;27:12214.
9. Baker H, Frank O, Thomson AD, Langer A, Munves ED, De Angelis B, Kaminetzky HA. Vitamin profile of 174 mothers and newborns at parturition. Am J Clin Nutr 1975;28:5965.
10. Tripathy K. Erythrocyte transketolase activity and thiamine transfer across human placenta. Am J Clin Nutr 1968;21:73942.
11. Bamji MS. Enzymic evaluation of thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxine status of parturient women and their newborn infants. Br J Nutr 1976;35:25965.
12. Dostalova L. Correlation of the vitamin status between mother and newborn during delivery. Dev Pharmacol Ther 1982;4(Suppl 1):4557.
13. Siddall AC. Vitamin B1 deficiency as an etiologic factor in pregnancy toxemias. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1938;35:6627.
14. King G, Ride LT. The relation of vitamin B1 deficiency to the pregnancy toxaemias: a study of 371 cases of beri-beri complicating pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Emp 1945;52:13047.
15. Chaudhuri SK, Halder K, Chowdhury SR, Bagchi K. Relationship between toxaemia of pregnancy and thiamine deficiency. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw 1969;76:1236.
16. Chaudhuri SK. Role of nutrition in the etiology of toxemia of pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1971;110:468.
17. Thomson AM. Diet in pregnancy. 3. Diet in relation to the course and outcome of pregnancy. Br J Nutr 1959;13:50925.
18. Roecklein B, Levin SW, Comly M, Mukherjee AB. Intrauterine growth retardation induced by thiamine deficiency and pyrithiamine during pregnancy in the rat. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1985;151:45560.
19. Fouts PJ, Gustafson GW, Zerfas LG. Successful treatment of a case of polyneuritis of pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1934;28:9027.
20. Willis RS, Winn WW, Morris AT, Newsom AA, Massey WE. Clinical observations in treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy with vitamins B1 and B6: a preliminary report. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1942;44:26571.
21. Hunt AD Jr, Stokes J Jr, McCrory WW, Stroud HH. Pyridoxine dependency: report of a case of intractable convulsions in an infant controlled by pyridoxine. Pediatrics 1954;13:1405.
22. Averback P. Anencephaly associated with megavitamin therapy. Can Med Assoc J 1976;114:995.
23. Reading C. Down's syndrome, leukaemia and maternal thiamine deficiency. Med J Aust 1976;1:505.
24. Thomas MR, Sneed SM, Wei C, Nail P, Wilson M, Sprinkle EE III. The effects of vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, riboflavin, and thiamin on the breast milk and maternal status of well-nourished women at 6 months postpartum. Am J Clin Nutr 1980;33:21516.
25. Deodhar AD, Rajalakshmi R, Ramakrishnan CV. Studies on human lactation. Part III. Effect of dietary vitamin supplementation on vitamin contents of breast milk. Acta Paediatr Scand 1964;53:428.
26. Ford JE, Zechalko A, Murphy J, Brooke OG. Comparison of the B vitamin composition of milk from mothers of preterm and term babies. Arch Dis Child 1983;58:36772.
27. Nail PA, Thomas MR, Eakin R. The effect of thiamin and riboflavin supplementation on the level of those vitamins in human breast milk and urine. Am J Clin Nutr 1980;33:198204.
28. Fehily L. Human-milk intoxication due to B1 avitaminosis. Br Med J 1944;2:5902.
29. Cruickshank JD, Trimble AP, Brown JAH. Interstitial mononuclear pneumonia: a cause of sudden death in Gurkha infants in the Far East. Arch Dis Child 1957;32:27984.
30. Mayer J. Nutrition and lactation. Postgrad Med 1963;33:3805.
31. Gunther M. Diet and milk secretion in women. Proc Nutr Soc 1968;27:7782.
32. Rao RR, Subrahmanyam I. An investigation on the thiamine content of mother's milk in relation to infantile convulsions. Indian J Med Res 1964;52:1198201.
33. Debuse PJ. Shoshin beriberi in an infant of a thiamine-deficient mother. Acta Paediatr 1992;81:7234.
34. Committee on Drugs, American Academy of Pediatrics. The transfer of drugs and other chemicals into human milk. Pediatrics 1994;93:13750.
    
    

Questions and Answers

Thiamine...?, How is it involved in the bone structure and repair in especially elderly people? i really need an answer somebody plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and this ques. thanx...

Thiamine is vitamin B1. Vitamins are naturally occurring substances necessary for many processes in the body. Thiamine is important in the breakdown of carbohydrates (sugars) in the foods we eat into products needed by the body.

Can I feed my bearded dragon Thiamine?, I will need to freeze the veggies for him, and I heard it destroys thiamine (Vitamin B1) and beardies have to have it. Can I put some human grade thiamine supplement on his food? Will human grade thiamine be bad for him?
(Only Beardie experts please)

i own a beardie myself and i never freeze his veggies if possible dont freeze his veggies if i were you i would not put human thiamine in his veggies

Can anyone think of a catchy slogan for Thiamine (vitamin b1) ?, I'm doing a science project on vitamin b1 and i need a catchy slogan. Thiamine helps turn the carbs you eat into energy for your body and maintains appetite and growth. It doesnt have to rhyme.

Thanks!

The Best Way to Turn Carbs to Energy is Be One
To Learn About Vitamins, Be One

Please help...How much ammonium sulfate or thiamine should i add to my apple cider to ferment it into vinegar?, amount per quart or gallon please.

None at all.
Cider does not ferment directly into vinegar, it's a two step process. First you have to ferment it into hard cider by the addition of yeast. Some yeast nutrients may be necessary (diammonium phosphate, ferm-aid, etc.) to get a good, thorough fermentation.
Second, the fermented cider needs exposure to air for oxygen and then have acetobacter introduced...you can either hope that it's naturally occurring in the air (not uncommon) or you can introduce it (preferred, for controlled results). Acetobacter is a bacteria that converts the alcohol from the fermented cider into acetic acid in the presence of oxygen. Acetobacter cultures can be found in home brewing supply stores,commonly known as "vinegar mother."

Here are some examples:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/53...
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

What is the symbol for the following: Thiamine mononitrate, ferric orthophosphate and ferrous sulfate?,

[1] C12H17N5O4S or (C12H17N4OS)(NO3)

[2] FePO4

[3] FeSO4

Is it true that one way to prevent the DENGUE is to take vitamins specifically B1 Thiamine hydrochloride?, Some previous studies reveal that intake of high doses of vitamin B1 (25-50 mg 3x a day) may be an effective repellant against mosquito bites. Vitamin B1, or thiamine hydrochloride, in a safe and water soluble vitamin which produces a skin odor that is not detectable by human, but is disagreeable to mosquitoes.
Thiamine hydrochloride most likely acts to combine with the perspiration of the host to repel insects by its odor.
According to Allan Greene, M.D. FAAP, August 11, 1992; it takes about 2 weeks before the odor of thiamine fully saturates the skin
Silva et. al. in 1995 (Re. Hosp Clin, Fac Med, Jao Paulo Vol 50, No1) reports a widely help opinion in Brazil, that vitamin B complex is useful as a mosquito repellant
Dengue is now the most important mosquito-borne viral disease in the world affecting young and old, rich and poor
.

You've answered your own question very well

What enzyme would be affected by beriberi or the lack of thiamine?,

Thiamine is one of the B vitamins and plays an important role in energy metabolism and tissue building. It combines with phosphate to form the coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), which is essential in reactions that produce energy from glucose or that convert glucose to fat for storage in the tissues. When there is not enough thiamine in the diet, these basic energy functions are disturbed, leading to problems throughout the body.

why is thiamine mononitrate used in hersheys cookies and creme candy bars?, i really need to know cuz my chem. project is due tomarrow and ive searched everywhere on line and cant find out why!!!! this is superly important!!! please help!! =)

Thiamine mononitrate is a form of vitamin B1. It's just a nutritional supplement.

Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier used in the making of chocolate. It is made from castor beans and helps reduce the viscosity of chocolate allowing it to flow more easily when melted.