Benefits of Vitamin B1

What Does Vitamin B1 Do?

Vitamin B1, also called thiamine, is a water-soluble vitamin that's super important for helping your body turn food into energy. It's especially key for your brain and nervous system. You mostly get it through food, but your body can’t store much of it—so you need a regular supply.

Proven Benefits

1. Prevents and Treats Thiamine Deficiency

If you're low on B1, taking it can help fix the deficiency and reduce the risk of complications. This is especially important if your diet is lacking or you have a condition that interferes with vitamin absorption.

2. Helps With Certain Metabolic Disorders

B1 can improve health in people with some rare inherited metabolic disorders like maple syrup urine disease and Leigh syndrome. These conditions affect how the body processes nutrients, and B1 can help manage symptoms—at least temporarily.

3. Reduces Risk of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

This serious brain disorder, often linked to alcohol abuse, is caused by a severe B1 deficiency. It affects memory, coordination, and mental clarity. Supplementing with B1—especially through IV—can ease some symptoms, though not always fully reverse them. Keeping your B1 levels up and treating the underlying causes can help prevent it from getting worse.

Possibly Effective Uses

1. Cataract Prevention

Following a diet rich in B1 may lower the risk of cataracts. One study from Australia in 2000 suggested that people who consumed more B1—along with other vitamins like B2, B3, and A—were less likely to develop them.

2. Diabetic Kidney Disease

There’s some early evidence that B1 may help lower protein levels (especially albumin) in the urine of people with diabetic kidney disease. It’s not conclusive yet, but it's a promising area for future research.

3. Eases Menstrual Cramps

In a study done in India, teen girls who took 100 mg of B1 daily for 90 days had way fewer painful cramps. It worked for about 87% of them and didn’t cause any side effects.

Not Enough Evidence Yet

1. Boosting Athletic Performance

Some research says athletes with low B-vitamin levels might perform worse during intense workouts, but there’s no solid proof that taking B1 supplements will improve performance—especially if you’re already getting enough from food.

2. Lowering Risk of Cervical Cancer

Higher B1 intake may help reduce the risk of cervical lesions that could become cancerous, but more research is needed.

3. Balancing Blood Sugar in Prediabetes

Some small studies show B1 might help reduce blood sugar spikes after meals in people with prediabetes.

4. Improving Appetite

B1 might help with appetite control since it plays a role in brain signals related to hunger. A 2014 study found that B1 improved appetite in deficient mice.

5. Other Possible Benefits

There’s early or mixed evidence B1 might help with:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Chronic diarrhea
• Stomach issues
• HIV/AIDS
• Stress
• Aging
• Mouth ulcers
• Heart failure symptoms
• Brain issues like Alzheimer's or other neurological conditions

Where to Get Vitamin B1

Food Sources

You can get B1 naturally through a variety of foods. Some top sources include:

• Fish like salmon, trout, tuna, and catfish
• Seeds and nuts: sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pistachios, macadamia nuts
• Legumes: black beans, white beans, lentils, black-eyed peas
• Soy products: tofu, soy milk, edamame, tempeh
• Whole grains: brown rice, whole grain bread, cornmeal, oatmeal, quinoa
• Vegetables: pumpkin, asparagus
• Seafood: mussels, clams, oysters

Supplements

Vitamin B1 is available in stand-alone supplements or multivitamins. It's sold in tablets, softgels, and sometimes given by IV or injection if someone is seriously deficient.

Things That Affect B1 Absorption

1. Tea and Coffee

These drinks contain tannins, which can interfere with B1 absorption—especially if consumed in very large amounts. Still, normal daily consumption isn’t usually a problem if your overall diet is balanced and rich in vitamin C.

2. Raw Seafood

Some raw fish and shellfish have enzymes that break down B1, so eating a lot of them raw might cause a deficiency. Cooking these foods neutralizes the enzymes, so it's safer that way.

Recommended Daily Intake

Safety and Side Effects

For most people, taking B1 through food or normal supplements is safe. Even IV B1 is usually safe under medical supervision. But in rare cases, people with allergies might have reactions, including:

• Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis)
• Hives
• Swelling or fluid in the lungs
• Skin discoloration or puffiness
• Excess sweating
• Insomnia
• Nausea or fatigue

Vitamin B1 Deficiency

Though rare in developed countries, B1 deficiency can happen, especially in people with diabetes, alcohol use disorder, kidney dialysis, or after weight loss surgery. Symptoms might include:

• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue and muscle weakness
• Irritability
• Numbness or tingling in arms and legs
• Blurred vision, confusion, or memory issues
• Nausea, vomiting
• Low heart rate and shortness of breath

Often, people don’t even realize they’re deficient because symptoms can be vague or slow to develop.