Many diabetics do not have enough thiamine circulating in their blood. Thiamine is an important B-vitamin that is essential to metabolizing carbohydrates. Replacing thiamine has proved beneficial to some diabetics by preventing or reversing a common diabetic complication -- kidney disease or diabetic nephropathy. Scientists, however, still don't know whether long-term administration of high doses of thiamine is effective or safe. Talk with your health-care provider about the benefits and drawbacks of thiamine supplementation if you are a diabetic.
Thiamine
Thiamine is also known as both thiamin and vitamin B-1. It is one of the eight vitamins that make up the B complex. Thiamine helps release energy from the foods you eat, especially carbohydrates, and it promotes a normal appetite. It is critical to nervous system function. Thiamine is also an accessory in a number of enzymatic functions and it helps produce stomach acids that aid in digestion. As a water-soluble nutrient, your body does not store it; any excess amount will be flushed out through your urine. In fact, your body stores very little thiamine, and depletion can occur rapidly, in as little as two weeks in some cases. A deficiency in thiamine is known as beriberi, which produces symptoms that include difficulty walking, loss of sensation in hands and feet, loss of muscle function or paralysis, speech difficulties, mental confusion, strange eye movements and vomiting.
Thiamine Deficiency in Diabetes
Many diabetics are thiamine deficient. In an October 2007 study published in "Diabetologia," 76 percent of type 1 diabetic participants and 75 percent of type 2 diabetic participants had decreased levels of thiamine in their bloodstreams. The British researchers also found participants' kidneys cleared the nutrient faster and in greater amounts than ideal. Moreover, their deficiency didn't show up with the conventional indicators of thiamine deficiency. Additional tests had to be performed, as the condition was masked by other chemical processes.
Consequences of Low Thiamine in Diabetics
Authors of a June 2011 study in the "International Journal of Clinical Practice" said the causes and consequences of a thiamine deficiency in diabetics are similar to the mechanisms behind metabolic syndrome and plaque buildup in the arteries. That's namely inflammation, oxidative stress and systemic dysfunction of the inner lining of blood vessels. They said thiamine deficiency can lead to serious damage by increasing blood sugar. On the other hand, thiamine replacement appears to be beneficial in preventing harmful byproducts of glucose metabolism, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. The problem is, the safety and efficacy of long-term thiamine replacement are unknown.
Thiamine and Diabetic Kidney Disease
One thing research has demonstrated is that thiamine replacement is effective in preventing and treating diabetic kidney disease. Diabetes impairs the ability of kidneys to rid your body of waste material. More than 180,000 people in the United States are living with kidney failure as a result of diabetes. However, "Diabetes Forcast" reported on a small Pakistani study that showed that a moderately high dose of thiamine, 100 mg taken daily for three months, reduced the risk of kidney disease in type 2 diabetics without affecting their blood sugar. Researchers at Warwick University discovered that a higher dose, 300 mg taken daily for three months, reversed the onset of early diabetic kidney disease. In both cases, thiamine stopped a condition in which a protein called albumin begins progressively leaking into urine. This usually signals decreasing functioning of the kidneys.
References
- "Diabetes Forecast"; A Vitamin that's Kind to the Kidneys; April 2009
- Mayo Clinic: Thiamin (Thiamine), Vitamin B1
- National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Kidney Disease of Diabetes; September 2008
- "Diabetologia."; High Prevalence of Low Plasma Thiamine Concentration in Diabetes Linked to a Marker of Vascular Disease; P. J. Thornalley et al.; October 2007
- "International Journal of Clinical Practice"; Thiamine Deficiency in Diabetes Mellitus and the Impact Of Thiamine Replacement on Glucose Metabolism and Vascular Disease; G. L. J. Page et al.; June 2011
- University of Warwick; Vitamin B1 Could Reverse Early-Stage Kidney Disease in Diabetes Patients; Dec. 2008
