---

Vitamin B1 Chemical Structure Food Sources Vitamin B1 in the Body Stability Synthesis Home Page Crystals of Vitamin B1 Copied without permission from Roche Product Information

Vitamin B1 Other names for the water soluble vitamin B1 are thiamine, antiberiberi factor, aneurine and antineuritic factor. Thiamine pyrophosphate is the biochemically active ester of thiamine, involved in many important metabolic processes including: The decarboxylation of alpha-oxoglutaric acid in the citric acid cycle The conversion of alanine to pyruvic acid then to acetyl coenzyme A Top Chemical Structure Fig.1 The Chemical Structure of Vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride) 3D Structure of Thiamine Top Principal Sources in Food Although thiamine occurs widely in foods, it is generally in small amounts. The principal source of thiamine is in dried brewers yeast and there are other good sources including: Meats: Pork Lamb Poultry Whole grain cereals (the thiamine is present in the germ of the grain) Eggs Nuts Legumes Top Vitamin B1 in the Body Thiamine is essential in the body for the releasing of energy from carbohydrate and fat, and is also involved in conduction of nerve impulses. It is not stored well in the body (highest concentrations being in the brain, heart, liver and kidney) and so a continuous supply is required. Deficiency results in two diseases: Beriberi - disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular system: Dry Beriberi - polyneuropathy with severe muscle wasting Wet Beriberi - characterised by anorexia, muscle weakness, edema, mental confusion and heart failure Infantile Beriberi - sudden appearance of vomiting, convulsions, abdominal distention and anorexia. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome - resulting from a combination of factors including: Inadequate intake Decreased absorption Increased requirements Did You Know? Beriberi translated into English means 'I can't, I can't'. Top Stability Vitamin B1 is sensitive to heat, alkali, oxygen and radiation and considerable amounts of the vitamin can be lost during cooking. Top Synthesis Chemical synthesis of thiamine is very complicated, involving 15-17 different steps. Top

---

Back to Home Page