{"id":19599,"date":"2022-09-07T08:28:42","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T00:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paulstokes.com.au\/?p=19599"},"modified":"2024-03-29T06:47:04","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T22:47:04","slug":"vitamin-b1-thiamin-nutrient-spotlight-food-sources-intake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulstokes.com.au\/vitamin-b1-thiamin-nutrient-spotlight-food-sources-intake\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitamin B1 | Thiamin | Nutrient Spotlight | Food Sources & Intake"},"content":{"rendered":"
Also known as vitamin B1, thiamin (or thiamine) is one of the B group of vitamins. Essentially, the B vitamins are heavily involved in various metabolic pathways and energy production. That being said, each individual B vitamin has its own role to play. Likewise, there are various differences between each, both in terms of availability and stability. Today, we’ll look at the specifics of vitamin B1 – thiamin.<\/p>\n
In its pure form, thiamin consists of white crystals which dissolve in water. These crystals smell and taste a little like yeast.<\/p>\n
Thiamin is chemically stable up to 100\u00b0<\/em>C when dry – for example, baking in an oven. Conversely, in a wet environment with water present, thiamin is broken down quickly and easily.<\/p>\n In your body, thiamin combines with phosphoric acid. In doing so, it creates thiamin pyrophosphate – a coenzyme crucial in several energy production biochemical pathways.<\/p>\n Your body uses thiamin to release energy from carbohydrates continuously and steadily. Additionally, it’s involved in releasing energy from fat and protein.<\/p>\n Thiamin intake is also important to keep your nervous system healthy. It’s involved in acetylcholine production, which is an important neurotransmitter.<\/p>\n READ ALSO:\u00a0Vitamin B3 | Niacin | Nutrient Spotlight | Food Sources and Intake<\/a><\/p>\n Since thiamin assists energy release from food, your actual daily requirement is linked to the amount of food you eat. Higher calorie consumption results in increased thiamin needs.<\/p>\n The beauty of nature is that unprocessed, whole foods tend to supply plenty of thiamine. Therefore, if we eat more of these foods, we automatically get more thiamin. Diets high in junk food, refined and fatty foods or alcohol can cause a problem. These types of food contain very little thiamin, but your body still needs it to metabolise the food properly.<\/p>\n In the UK, the British Nutrition Foundation<\/a> lists the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for thiamin as 0.9mg\/day for males aged 11-14. The 15-18 age group has an RNI of 1.1mg\/day while 1.0mg\/day is advised for those over 18. For females, the RNIs are 0.7mg\/day for 11-14-year-olds and 0.8mg\/day for women over 15.<\/p>\n In the United States, the National Institutes for Health’s Recommended Daily Allowances for thiamin<\/a> are slightly different. They are 1.2mg\/day for adult men and 1.1mg\/day for adult women.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Australia, the government sets its Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for thiamin<\/a> at the same levels as in the US.<\/p>\nWhy do I need vitamin B1?<\/h2>\n
How much thiamin do I need from my diet each day?<\/h2>\n
Dietary Guidelines for vitamin B1 | thiamin intake in the UK, USA and Australia<\/h3>\n