Problems With Low Thiamine

Your body needs thiamine, or vitamin B1, to convert carbohydrates from food into energy, as well as for normal muscle function and a healthy nervous system. If you're eating a balanced diet and are otherwise healthy, you're unlikely to experience thiamine deficiency. Poor diet and certain health conditions, as well as alcohol abuse, can put you at risk for deficiency, however.

Early Symptoms

Many of the first symptoms of low thiamine levels are similar to symptoms of other health conditions. These include weakness, fatigue, pain in the chest or abdomen, loss of appetite, irritable mood, trouble sleeping and poor memory. Another early, more distinctive sign of thiamine deficiency is higher levels of lactic acid because your body requires thiamine to efficiently processes this compound. Your body releases lactic acid during exercise, which can lead to muscle soreness. If your thiamine levels are low, you may notice muscle pain, particularly in your calves, after light activity, notes Dr. Alan Stewart on his website Stewart Nutrition.

Dry Beriberi

More severe thiamine deficiency can result in the condition beriberi. Dry beriberi is a type of this condition that affects primarily the nervous system. The main symptom is peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage in your limbs. You may experience loss of feeling and weakness in your legs and hands and a burning sensation in your feet. Pain and exaggerated reflexes are also among the symptoms.

Wet Beriberi

Another type of beriberi, wet beriberi, causes cardiovascular problems in addition to neurological ones. You may experience rapid heart rate, shortness of breath after light activity, waking at night with shortness of breath and severe swelling, particularly in your lower legs. This manifestation of thiamine deficiency can lead to an enlarged heart and, eventually, congestive heart failure, meaning the heart can no longer pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.

Cerebral Beriberi

Thiamine is vital for healthy neurological function and a severe lack of this vitamin can cause the neurological syndrome Wernicke's encephalopathy. Symptoms include unusual eye movements, abnormalities in standing and walking and mental confusion. This may also lead to Korsakoff's psychosis, a condition that severely impairs memory. Medical experts consider Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis different stages of the condition Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, explain experts from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Low Thiamine Causes and Treatments

Thiamine deficiency is a risk for those eating a diet based on refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, that haven't been vitamin-fortified to replace the thiamine lost during processing. To avoid deficiency, ensure your diet includes minimally processed or vitamin-fortified sources of thiamine such as peas, brown rice, pork and fortified breakfast cereal.

Medical conditions that increase thiamine requirement, impair absorption or increase loss of thiamine may also cause deficiency, as can extreme physical exertion, pregnancy or nursing. Alcohol abuse may lead to thiamine deficiency due to poor diet, impaired nutrient absorption and increased nutrient loss. If you experience low thiamine you may require thiamine supplements by injection or by mouth. While many symptoms improve with treatment, untreated severe thiamine deficiency can cause death.