Thiamin also known as vitamin B1 and aneurin was the first B vitamin identified.
Thiamin (vitamin B1), the structural formula of which consists of substituted pyrimidine and thiazole rings linked by a methylene bridge.
All plant and animal tissues contain thiamin and it is therefore present in all natural unprocessed foods.
Rich sources of thiamin include yeasts and yeast extract, wheat bran, oatmeal, whole grain cereals, pulses, nuts, lean pork, heart, kidney and liver.
Lack of thiamin causes the deficiency disease called beriberi, which has been known since antiquity.
Beriberi is rare in United States because grain products that are not whole grain are routinely enriched.
A deficiency of thiamin in humans can also result in Wenicke-Korsakoff’s encephalopathy, which is characterized by mental confusion and deterioration of nerve function leading at worst to coma.
Thiamin in food
