Helena564

De BISAWiki

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) - The Mood Booster Vitamin

vitamins in the morning - Vitamin B1 is called the "mood-booster" vitamin due to its dramatic effect on our nerves and our mood. Besides supporting the nerves, vitamin B1 helps with carbohydrate metabolism, boosts our defense mechanisms, wards off mosquitoes, helps develop red blood cells, maintains muscle mass, promotes growth in children helping control motion sickness. An artificial version of vitamin B1 is added to white flour in in order to ward off beriberi, but it is better to consume the natural form, seen in abundance in whole grains. Because thiamine helps with carbohydrate metabolism, in addition, it makes energy readily available for the body, including the brain. So if you feel not getting enough thiamine, you might not be feeding your brain enough glucose for it to think well.

Extra Thiamine Requirements

morning and mood - If you are pregnant or nursing, use birth control pills, cigarettes or diuretics, you will require more vitamin B1. Individuals with diets high in refined foods, a lot of sugar and fast foods and/or alcohol will also have higher requirements for thiamine. Last, although not least, heavy metal pollutants like mercury and stress also use up thiamine in the body and can increase your need for it. B vitamins are used in detoxifying our bodies, and if you are exposed to more toxins, you will require more of the B vitamins overall.

Deficiency The signs of Vitamin B1

Fatigue and insomnia, bad memory, poor brain function and muscle coordination, headaches, weakness and confusion are symptoms of Vitamin B1 deficiency. Insufficient thiamine has additionally been linked to mood changes, disorderly thinking, fear and feelings of uneasiness -- all signs of mental depression that may often affect memory too. Beriberi is a disease that can develop from a severe lack of B1, and is seen as an weakness, limb swelling and heart enlargement. It affects the nervous, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems, but is rare in america today because of the synthetic B1 additive in white flour.

Food Sources of Vitamin B1

Although you may get enough vitamin B1 to reduce the chances of beriberi, many of us do not get the optimum amount, especially due to all the stress we are under, both physically and emotionally. Some of the best sources of Vitamin B1 are nutritional yeast, liver and whole grains like whole wheat, brown rice, oatmeal and rice bran. However, other foods like watermelon, asparagus, fresh peas, pork, ham and beef, legumes, nuts and seeds like sesame seeds may also be good sources of Vitamin B1.

Also, if your gut is healthy, and it has a preponderance of excellent bacteria (probiotics), it will be making B vitamins. However, many of us have taken antibiotics over the years which have lowered the amount of good bacteria, so unless you have taken steps to get over that, like with considerable amounts of probiotics, either in supplement form or with cultured vegetables or lacto-fermented beverages, you most likely aren't making all the B vitamins your body needs.

Should You Supplement with Vitamin B1?

morning and mood - If you have a healthy gut with no Vitamin B deficiency symptoms, and you also eat a lot of the foods containing B vitamins, you might not need to supplement. However, most of us are under enough stress and still have eaten a lot of refined foods that have stripped B vitamins from your bodies, and so b vitamin supplementation can be beneficial. However, unless know there is a big Vitamin B1 deficiency and are taking only B1 for any specific purpose and certain period of time under the care of a health care practitioner, and we don't recommend supplementing only with Vitamin B1. All of the B vitamins work in addition to each other, and often supplementing with just 1 or 2 of them can cause other B Vitamin imbalances. We propose adding a whole food supplement containing the B Complex vitamins, for example nutritional yeast and/or whole food based Vitamin b. These are very hard to find, but it's worth it to your body to utilize food-based vitamin B, in our opinion. It can take 6 months to 1 year to replenish your supply of B vitamins, so supplementing can really help you to catch up.