Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Vitamin B1 is one of the B complex, and unlike some substances found in this list it is unconditionally essential to life.
Vitamin B1 plays an important role in helping the body metabolize carbohydrates and fat to produce energy. It is essential for normal growth and development and helps to maintain proper functioning of the heart and the nervous and digestive systems. Vitamin B1 is water-soluble and cannot be stored in the body; however, once absorbed, the vitamin is concentrated in muscle tissue.
Vitamin B1 is found naturally in the following foods, each of which contains at least 0.1 mg of the vitamin per 28-100 g (1-3.5 oz): green peas, spinach, liver, beef, pork, navy beans, nuts, pinto beans, bananas, soybeans, goji berries, whole-grains, breads, yeast, the aleurone layer of unpolished rice, and legumes.
Systemic vitamin B1 deficiency can lead to myriad problems including neurodegeneration, wasting and death. A lack of vitamin B1 can be caused by malnutrition, alcoholism, a diet high in thiaminase-rich foods (raw freshwater fish, raw shellfish, ferns) and/or foods high in anti-thiamine factors (tea, coffee, betel nuts).
Well-known syndromes caused by vitamin B1 deficiency include Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and beriberi, diseases also common with chronic alcoholism. This last is because the enzymes used to detoxify alcohol need vitamin B1 as part of their makeup and the vitamin B1 is used up.
It is also possible to be short of vitamin B1 because it has been treated in ways that destroy it. Vitamin B1 is highly unstable to heat and in alkaline conditions; thus the common practise of butting bicarbonate in with peas as they are being cooked is a great way to destroy it!
It is thought that many people with diabetes have a deficiency of vitamin B1 and that this may be linked to some of the complications that can occur.
Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), also known as thiamine diphosphate (ThDP), is a coenzyme for several enzymes that catalyze the dehydrogenation (decarboxylation and subsequent conjugation to Coenzyme A) of alpha-keto acids. In other words, vitamin B1 is essential for building rather a lot of important biological molecules including coenzyme Q10.
The RDA in most countries is set at about 1.4 mg. However, tests on volunteers at daily doses of about 50 mg have claimed an increase in mental acuity.
Some studies suggest that taking vitamin B1 25 to 50 mg three times per day is effective in reducing mosquito bites. A large intake of vitamin B1 produces a skin odour that is not detectable by humans, but is disagreeable to female mosquitoes. Vitamin B1 takes more than 2 weeks before the odour fully saturates the skin.