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Thiamin
Thiamine; Vitamin B1
Thiamin, or vitamin B1, helps turn food into energy. Thiamin is naturally present in some foods, added to some food products, and available as a dietary supplement. Learn how much you need, good dietary sources, deficiency symptoms, and health effects.
Bread and Grains
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Soybeans
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Thiamin (also called vitamin B1) helps turn the food you eat into the energy you need. Thiamin is important for the growth, development, and function of the cells in your body.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Molecule
Image by TheVisualMD
The amount of thiamin you need depends on your age and sex. Average daily recommended amounts are listed below in milligrams (mg).
| Life Stage | Recommended Amount |
|---|---|
| Birth to 6 months | 0.2 mg |
| Infants 7–12 months | 0.3 mg |
| Children 1–3 years | 0.5 mg |
| Children 4–8 years | 0.6 mg |
| Children 9–13 years | 0.9 mg |
| Teen boys 14–18 years | 1.2 mg |
| Teen girls 14–18 years | 1.0 mg |
| Men | 1.2 mg |
| Women | 1.1 mg |
| Pregnant teens and women | 1.4 mg |
| Breastfeeding teens and women | 1.4 mg |
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Thiamine
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Thiamin is found naturally in many foods and is added to some fortified foods. You can get recommended amounts of thiamin by eating a variety of foods, including the following:
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Blister pack of Vitamin B group, CPVC, 2022
Image by Alexander Davronov/Wikimedia
Thiamin is found in multivitamin/multimineral supplements, in B-complex dietary supplements, and in supplements containing only thiamin. Common forms of thiamin in dietary supplements are thiamin mononitrate and thiamin hydrochloride. Some supplements use a synthetic form of thiamin called benfotiamine.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Man with visible Heart Drinking Alcohol
Image by TheVisualMD
Most people in the United States get enough thiamin from the foods they eat. Thiamin deficiency is rare in this country. However, certain groups of people are more likely than others to have trouble getting enough thiamin:
Talk with your healthcare provider(s) about thiamin and other dietary supplements to help you determine which, if any, might be valuable for you.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Beriberi - Thiamine/B1 deficiency
Image by Collectie Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen
You can develop thiamin deficiency if you don’t get enough thiamin in the foods you eat or if your body eliminates too much or absorbs too little thiamin.
Thiamin deficiency can cause loss of weight and appetite, confusion, memory loss, muscle weakness, and heart problems. Severe thiamin deficiency leads to a disease called beriberi with the added symptoms of tingling and numbness in the feet and hands, loss of muscle, and poor reflexes. Beriberi is not common in the United States and other developed countries.
A more common example of thiamin deficiency in the United States is Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which mostly affects people with alcoholism. It causes tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, severe memory loss, disorientation, and confusion.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Right side heart failure
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Scientists are studying thiamin to better understand how it affects health. Here are some examples of what this research has shown.
People with diabetes often have low levels of thiamin in their blood. Scientists are studying whether thiamin supplements can improve blood sugar levels and glucose tolerance in people with type 2 diabetes. They are also studying whether benfotiamine (a synthetic form of thiamin) supplements can help with nerve damage caused by diabetes.
Many people with heart failure have low levels of thiamin. Scientists are studying whether thiamin supplements might help people with heart failure.
Scientists are studying the possibility that thiamin deficiency could affect the dementia of Alzheimer’s disease. Whether thiamin supplements may help mental function in people with Alzheimer's disease needs further study.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Zero / None / Null
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Thiamin has not been shown to cause any harm.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Furosemide (1)
Image by Intropin/Wikimedia
Yes. Some medicines can lower thiamin levels in the body. Here are a couple examples:
Tell your doctor, pharmacist, and other healthcare providers about any dietary supplements and prescription or over-the-counter medicines you take. They can tell you if the dietary supplements might interact with your medicines or if the medicines might interfere with how your body absorbs, uses, or breaks down nutrients such as thiamin.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Vitamin B1 Test
Also called: Thiamine, thiamin, vitamin F, Aneurin, Thiamine diphosphate, TDP
Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is a substance that is crucial for certain body processes to work properly. Long-term thiamine deficiency can lead to nerve damage, heart failure, or mental problems. This test measures the amount of vitamin B1 in a sample of your blood.
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