The Relevance of Thiamine Evaluation in a Practical Setting

Abstract

Thiamine is a crucial cofactor involved in the maintenance of carbohydrate metabolism and participates in multiple cellular metabolic processes. Although thiamine can be obtained from various food sources, some common food groups are deficient in thiamine, and it can be denatured by high temperature and pH. Additionally, different drugs can alter thiamine metabolism. In addition, the half-life of thiamine in the body is between 1 and 3 weeks. All these factors could provide an explanation for the relatively short period needed to develop thiamine deficiency and observe the consequent clinical symptoms. Thiamine deficiency could lead to neurological and cardiological problems. These clinical conditions could be severe or even fatal. Marginal deficiency too may promote weaker symptoms that might be overlooked. Patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal or pancreatic surgery could have or develop thiamine deficiency for many different reasons. To achieve the best outcome for these patients, we strongly recommend the execution of both an adequate preoperative nutritional assessment, which includes thiamine evaluation, and a close nutritional follow up to avoid a nutrient deficit in the postoperative period.

Pumpkin, Cauliflower and Broccoli as New Carriers of Thiamine Compounds for Food Fortification

“…It should be stated that thiamine losses in the dried vegetables analyzed were not high. Thiamine is one of the most labile vitamins [ 9 , 12 , 31 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. The analysis of Japanese cooking meals have shown 50% losses of thiamine on average.…”

“…The values of half-life thiamine periods indicate that the lower the temperature of storage, the lower the dynamics of thiamine loss. Earlier studies showed that most chemical compounds are increasingly active at higher temperatures [[ 9 , 48 , 49 ]]. Thiamine is one of the most labile vitamins.…”

“…Other studies also indicate that thiamine therapy should be a crucial part of the treatment plan and health policies to prevent the development or progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease [ 4 , 5 ]. Very high doses of thiamine, i.e., up to 3 g/day are used in the treatment of numerous diseases [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. According to Kunisawa, several neurological symptoms, occurring in other viral infections and neuroinflammatory states, may also be treated with thiamine [ 10 ].…”

“…Thiamine deficiency may result from its reduced absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, induced by illness or surgery, as well as increased metabolic demand [ 16 ]. [ 9 , 15 , 17 , 18 ]. Vitamin B1 deficits may be common both in the elderly (diseases, medication intake, absorption disorders) [ 15 , 19 , 20 ] and physically active young people—stress can induce biochemical thiamine deficiency [ 17 , 21 , 22 ].…”

“…This may result from the intake of small portions of food, as well as the consumption of highly processed products, such as white flour or pasta produced from white flour. It is similar in the case of products such as tea, coffee, raw fish and crustaceans [ 9 , 17 ]. Certain nutritional studies suggest that vegetarian and vegan diets may have insufficient thiamine content [ 18 ].…”