What is the Meaning & Definition of thiamine (vitamin B1)


Thiamine, aka vitamin B1, is one of the vitamins of the Group B.
This vitamin plays important functions in the organism requiring his presence to make out the different reactions that produce energy as well as for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
The main sources of thiamine are husks of cereals without processing, mainly rice and wheat bran. It is also in eggs, milk, beans and nuts such as peanuts.
The lack of thiamine produces a disease called Beriberi, it is characterized by the presence of symptoms arising as a result of the extreme weakness lack product in the production of energy from carbohydrate metabolism.
The majority of body tissues are able to obtain energy by two-way, one is for the metabolism of carbohydrates and the other by the degradation of grease accumulated in the body. In the case of the nervous system this only uses energy from sugars, for this reason to be affected the process of obtaining energy from carbohydrates the person with thiamine deficiency will develop secondary disorders to the neuronal malfunction leading to failure in the transmission of nerve impulses between various areas of the central nervous system It looks equally affected the production of the membrane that covers the extensions of neurons or axons, known as the myelin sheath, which will finally affect the functioning of nerve roots, or peripheral nervous system, causing discomfort like pain, loss of strength and paralysis with decreased muscle tone.
Other systems whose operation depends on the muscular activity also are affected by this disease, such is the case of the cardiovascular system and digestive system.
The heart to be formed by a muscle also undergoes this process of weakness resulting in heart failure, which is accompanied by expressions such as shortness of breath, edema in the legs and accumulation of fluid in the abdomen and lungs.
The digestive system on the other hand requires the rhythmic movements of all the digestive tract to take food from the mouth to the anus, the muscle weakness by lack of thiamine is able to affect these movements originating a dilatation of the bowel, delay in gastric emptying, slowing digestion and occurrence of constipation by intestinal hypomotility.
The deficit of thiamine is rare today, especially because many consumer foods are enriched with this and other vitamins. Most of the existing cases today occur in alcoholic individuals in which alcohol consumption interferes with thiamine absorption in the intestine, thus leading to its deficiency.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.