Could Thiamine Or Vitamin B1 Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels?

One interesting line of investigation in diabetes research has to do with vitamin B1, thiamine. As early as 2005, experiments in animals showed that it might have the potential to prevent the complications associated with Type 2 diabetes.

In 2007, an article was published on the subject in the medical journal Diabetologia. Researchers at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, the Clinical Sciences Research Institute in Coventry, and Ipswich Diabetic Foot Unit and Diabetes Center in Ipswich, United Kingdom, looked at thiamine in the blood and urine of volunteers with Types 1 and 2 diabetes and non-diabetics. Twenty-six Type 1 diabetics, 48 Type 2 diabetics, and 20 non-diabetic controls were included. Blood plasma thiamine concentration was decreased:

• 76 per cent in Type 1 diabetics and
• 75 per cent in Type 2 diabetics

when compared with that of the non-diabetic volunteers.

The urine of diabetics was found to be higher in thiamine in proportion to the low amount in their blood plasma.

This month, an article in the European Journal of Nutrition, authored by workers from the University of Guadalajara in Mexico, also reported on a study of thiamine supplementation in people with diabetes. Twenty-four participants with Type 2 diabetes were included in this study. Twelve received 150 mg of thiamine orally once a day for one month. The other twelve received a placebo. At the end of a month, the treated group showed significant decreases in blood sugar levels.

The authors concluded that thiamine might have a place in the treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes alongside of other therapy to lower blood sugar levels.

Vegetables high in thiamine include:

• sunflower seeds legumes such as green peas, lentils, pinto, black and lima beans
• asparagus
• romaine lettuce
• mushrooms
• spinach
• tomatoes
• eggplant and
• Brussels sprouts

A salad made up of 2 cups of romaine lettuce, one half tomato, one cup of chopped asparagus, 5 ounces of crimini mushrooms, and a half cup of boiled cold peas would provide about 44 per cent of the USDA's recommendation for the daily amount of thiamine we should all have. Add to that a cup of cooked whole oats for breakfast and you have about 61 per cent. If you have 2 cups of eggplant and a cup of spinach at dinner and 2 cups of watermelon for dessert you will have about 98 per cent of the USDA's daily recommendation for thiamine.

Alcoholism is the main cause of thiamine deficiency in the United States. Drinking too much tea and coffee can also be a problem as they are diuretics and will causing excretion of thiamine through increased urination.

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Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective. http://drugfreetype2diabetes.com/blog Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2010 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide