Abstract
The water-soluble vitamin thiamine or vitamin B1 has historically been associated with beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in a deficiency state, largely due to malnutrition. Thiamine is back into focus owing to the modernization of dietary practices with abundance of processed foods, reducing the nutritional quality of food and leading to thiamine deficiency even in the apparently “well-nourished” population. Thiamine is involved in over 20 biochemical reactions in the body, mainly involving the energy metabolism in brain, heart, and muscle. Though required in very small quantities, it is rapidly excreted from the body owing to its water-soluble nature and hence needs to be replenished on a daily basis. In this chapter, we aim to describe thiamine absorption and transportation and its crucial role in metabolic pathways leading to energy production, with special focus on neurological functions and related disorders. Early recognition of thiamine deficiency is paramount as supplementation of thiamine can be life-saving, reverting symptoms as early as in hours, even in the severely affected individuals.
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