What is the function of vitamin B1?

What is vitamin B1？
Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin and an important member of B vitamins. Because its molecule contains "sulfur" and "ammonia", it is also called thiamine. The pure product is white crystalline powder, with a faint special smell, bitter taste and deliquescence. Melting point 248 ℃, soluble in water, insoluble in ether and benzene, stable under acidic conditions.

What's the use of vitamin B1? Vitamin B1 is the cofactor of the key enzyme of glucose metabolism, and plays an important role in maintaining the balance of oxidative metabolism in the brain. When vitamin B1 is deficient, it can directly affect the functions of nervous system, heart, gastrointestinal tract and muscle tissue, resulting in forgetfulness, anxiety, irritability or depression, indigestion and other problems. How can vitamin B1 deficiency be apparent? Vitamin B1 deficiency is called beriberi, which mainly damages the neurovascular system, and mostly occurs in people who eat refined rice flour as their staple food.

(1) The essence of common people's vitamin B1 deficiency beriberi is a kind of peripheral nerve endings inflammation and degenerative disease, which is a systemic reaction. The symptoms include limb numbness, muscle atrophy, lower limb edema, constipation, slow intestinal peristalsis, abdominal distension, etc. Beriberi is very harmful to health, and may even cause liver and kidney failure and cardiac insufficiency.
(2) Lack of vitamin B1 in pregnant and lactating women may cause insomnia, dizziness, poor appetite and other symptoms, which are easily confused with the normal performance of pregnancy. However, long-term lack of vitamin B1 in pregnant women may lead to congenital beriberi of the fetus. Lack of vitamin B1 in lactating mothers will also lead to metabolic disorders of carbohydrates, accumulation of lactic acid and other metabolites, and accumulation of harmful substances in breast milk, which is easy to cause toxic reactions in infants.
(3) Infants with vitamin B1 deficiency usually suffer from beriberi with sudden onset, acute course, high mortality, atypical symptoms and easy misdiagnosis. The incidence of diseases due to lack of vitamin B1 has been reported from time to time. For example, a formula milk powder was forcibly recalled in Israel in 2004, which caused 3 infants to die and 10 infants to become ill. Because the milk powder did not contain vitamin B1, the brain development of infants was damaged.