A friend told Hanako that because of obesity and "three highs", he is controlling his diet to lose weight, but recently he often has heart palpitations, his physical condition is not as good as before, he is always prone to illness, and his vision is also blurred.
Hanako told him that from the point of view of symptoms, it is likely that a lack of vitamin B1 caused the body's metabolic disorder. Maintaining weight requires controlling total calorie intake, but nutritional imbalances caused by excessive dieting are not worth the cost. Hanako advised him to supplement with vitamin B1 to maintain the body's needs.
First, lack of vitamin B1 will cause beriberi
Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is an important coenzyme in the metabolism of sugar, fat, amino acids and other nutrients in the human body, and can also inhibit the activity of cholinesterase . When vitamin B1 is deficient, the nutritional metabolism capacity is reduced, and the energy supply is insufficient, which will cause disorders of the digestive system, nervous system, and circulatory system, and beriberi.
Beriberi was originally a lameness disease found in humans and animals, hence the name "beriberi". Later, it was found that lameness was actually caused by polyneuritis caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, causing limb muscle paralysis atrophy and spasm, so beriberi is not the same as "athlete's foot" caused by fungal infection.
Second, what are the symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency?
1. Easy to fatigue: when vitamin B1 is lacking, the efficiency of the nutrient metabolism system decreases, the energy supply is insufficient, and symptoms of fatigue and fatigue will occur; Gastrointestinal smooth muscle will also have a reduced ability to perstalsis, and loss of appetite will occur.
2. Easy to infect: The human body has a strong immune system that can resist pathogens and remove harmful substances from the body. When vitamin B1 intake is insufficient, it will affect the metabolic process of converting sugar into energy, and the activity of white blood cells, macrophages, and lymphocytes in the immune system will decrease, increasing the probability of people being infected by pathogens.
3. Memory loss: glucose is the main energy supply of brain cells, lack of vitamin B1, will reduce the metabolic ability of brain cells to glucose by 30%, resulting in nervous system damage, memory impairment, more likely to fall into irritability, anxiety, irritability of bad emotions.
4. Numbness of hands and feet: lack of vitamin B1 may cause peripheral neuropathy, and numbness, needle and other paresthesias will occur at the distal end of the limbs.
5. Arrhythmia: When vitamin B1 is deficient, insufficient inhibition of cholinesterase will accelerate the hydrolysis of acetylcholine in the human body. Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter, and when its level decreases, it causes abnormal regulation of the heart by the nervous system and arrhythmias.
6. Vision loss: When vitamin B1 is lacking, it will lead to damage to optic ganglion cells, eyes will be more likely to fatigue, and symptoms such as ghosting and blurring will occur when looking at things.
Third, why is there a lack of vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 is widely found in various foods, such as cereals, legumes, and nuts in plants; Lean meat, liver, heart, etc. of animals contain a lot of vitamin B1.
It should be noted that vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin, if the washing is too many times when cooking, it will lead to a large amount of vitamin B1 loss, prone to deficiency. Vitamin B1 is stable in acidic environments, easy to be destroyed in neutral and alkaline environments, and some people add alkali for a soft and rotten taste when cooking, which will also lead to the destruction of vitamin B1.
During the metabolism of ethanol (alcohol), a large amount of vitamin B1 needs to be consumed, so excessive drinkers are also prone to vitamin B1 deficiency.
In order to prevent vitamin B1 deficiency, it is necessary to abstain from alcohol, and do not wash too much or add alkali when cooking. People who need to control their diet can take vitamin B1 tablets to supplement, oral vitamin B1 is very safe, even if it is excessive, it will be excreted with urine, and there is generally no poisoning.
To sum up, vitamin B1 is very important for the human body, if the lack of vitamin B1 can cause beriberi, causing damage to multiple systems such as digestion, nerves, and circulation. Everyone should pay attention to daily habits, maintain balanced nutrition, and protect their health. I am Pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.