Thiamine is an alternate name for vitamin B1. It is one of the eight essential B vitamins that men require each day. If you are a man interested in nutrition, you need to understand the importance of thiamine and how much you need to consume each day. Talk to your doctor before taking any vitamins.
Importance of Thiamine
Thiamine is important because of its many uses in your body. One key function is in your metabolism. Thiamine helps your body convert carbohydrates from the foods that you eat into energy for your cells. It is also used in some essential body systems such as your cardiovascular system, muscular system and your nervous system. Without a proper amount of thiamine each day, your body would not be able to perform these functions efficiently.
RDA
The RDA is an acronym for the recommended dietary allowance. This is the amount that you need in from your diet each day to avoid symptoms of a vitamin deficiency and to ensure optimal body function. The RDA is different depending on your age. Infants require between 0.2 and 0.3 mg per day and children under the age of 13 between 0.5 and 0.9 mg per day. Adult men and adolescents require 1.2 mg each day from food or supplement sources.
Food Sources
The best source of thiamine is in the foods that you eat. Good sources include eggs, dried milk, enriched bread and flour, lean meats, legumes, nuts, seeds, organ meats, peas and whole grains. Fruits, vegetables and dairy products contain a small amount of thiamine, but are not significant sources according to PubMed Health. If you include these foods in your diet each day, you will consume an ample amount of thiamine.
Considerations
It is important to understand that the B vitamins work together as a whole package in your body. Therefore you should strive to include all eight B vitamins in your diet. These include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate. The B vitamins are generally found in fish, poultry, meat, eggs and dairy products. If you do not eat these types of foods regularly, you can add a daily multivitamin that includes the RDA of the B vitamins to ensure proper nutrition.
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