Augustine87

De BISAWiki

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) - The Mood Booster Vitamin

morning and vitamins - Vitamin B1 is recognized as the "mood-booster" vitamin because of its dramatic effect on our nerves and our mood. Besides supporting the nerves, vitamin B1 supports carbohydrate metabolism, boosts our defense mechanisms, wards off mosquitoes, helps develop red blood cells, maintains muscle mass, promotes growth in children and helps control motion sickness. An artificial version of vitamin B1 is put into white flour in so that you can ward off beriberi, but it is better to consume the natural form, present in abundance in whole grains. Because thiamine supports carbohydrate metabolism, it also makes energy readily available for the body, including the brain. So if you feel not getting enough thiamine, may very well not be feeding your brain enough glucose for this to think well.

Extra Thiamine Requirements

good mood in the morning - If you are pregnant or nursing, use oral contraceptives, cigarettes or diuretics, you'll need more vitamin B1. Individuals with diets high in refined foods, a lot of sugar and junk foods and/or alcohol will also have higher requirements for thiamine. Last, however, not least, heavy metal pollutants like mercury and stress also employ up thiamine in the body and will increase your need for it. B vitamins are used in detoxifying the body, and if you are exposed to more toxins, you'll need more of the B vitamins overall.

Deficiency 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 also been linked to mood changes, disorderly thinking, fear and feelings of uneasiness -- all indications of mental depression that may often affect memory as well. Beriberi is a disease that can be cultivated from a severe scarcity 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 the US today because of the synthetic B1 additive in white flour.

Food Causes of Vitamin B1

Although you may get enough vitamin B1 to defend against beriberi, many of us do not get the optimum amount, especially due to all the stress we're under, both emotionally and physically. Some of the best sources of Vitamin B1 are nutritional yeast, liver and grain 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 are also good sources of Vitamin B1.

Also, in case your gut is healthy, and possesses a preponderance of fine bacteria (probiotics), it will be making Vitamin b. However, many of us took antibiotics over the years which have lowered the amount of good bacteria, so until you have taken steps to overcome that, like with huge amounts of probiotics, either in supplement form or with cultured vegetables or lacto-fermented beverages, you almost certainly aren't making all of the B vitamins your body needs.

In the event you Supplement with Vitamin B1?

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