thiamine energy

What is Thiamine to Energy Metabolism?

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What is Energy?

Energy is an invisible force. The aggregate of energy in any physical system is a constant quantity, transformable in countless ways but never increased or diminished. In the human body, chemical energy is produced by the combination of oxygen with glucose. This reaction is known as oxidation. The chemical energy is transduced to electrical energy in the process of energy conservation. This might be thought of as the “engine” of the brain/body cells. We have to start thinking that it is electrical energy that drives the human body. The production of chemical energy is exactly the same in principle as the burning of any fuel but the details are quite different. The energy is captured and stored in an electronic form as a substance known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that acts as an energy currency. The chemical changes in food substances are induced by a series of enzymes, each of which combine together to form a chain of chemical reactions that might be thought of as preparing food for its ultimate breakdown and oxidation. Each of these enzymes requires a chemical “friend”, known as a cofactor. One of the most important enzymes, the one that actually enables the oxidation of glucose, requires thiamine and magnesium as its cofactors. Chemical energy cannot be produced without thiamine and magnesium, although it also requires other “colleagues”, since all vitamins are essential. A whole series of essential minerals are also necessary, so it is not too difficult to understand that all these ingredients must be obtained by nutrition. The body cannot make vitamins or essential minerals. There is also some evidence that thiamine may have a part to play in converting chemical energy to electrical energy. Thus, it may be the ultimate defining factor in the energy that drives function. If that is true, its deficiency would play a vital role in every disease.

Energy Consumption

Few people are aware that our lives depend on energy production and its efficient consumption. A car has to have an engine that produces the energy. This is passed through a transmission that enables the car to function. In a similar manner, we have discussed how energy is produced. It is consumed in a series of energy requiring chemical reactions, each of which requires an enzyme with its appropriate cofactor[s]. This series of reactions can be likened to a transmission, enabling the human body to function. If energy is consumed faster than it can be synthesized, or energy cannot be produced fast enough to meet demand, it is not too difficult to see that it would produce a fundamental change in function. Lack of function in body organs affects our health. The symptoms are merely warning the affected individual that something is wrong. The underlying cause has to be ascertained in order to interpret how the symptoms are generated.

Why Focus on Thiamine?

We have already pointed out that thiamine does not work on its own. It operates in what might be regarded as a ”team relationship”. But it has also been determined as the defining cause of beriberi, a disease that has affected millions for thousands of years. Any team made up of humans requires a captain and although this is not a perfect analogy, we can regard thiamine as “captain” of an energy producing team. This is mainly due to its necessity for oxidation of glucose, by far and away the most important fuel for the brain, nervous system and heart. Thus, although beriberi is regarded as a disease of those organs, it can affect every cell in the body and the distribution of deficiency within that body can affect the presentation of the symptoms.

Thiamine exists only in naturally occurring foods and it is now easy to see that its deficiency, arising from an inadequate ingestion of those foods, results in slowing of energy production. Because the brain, nervous system and heart are the most energy requiring tissues in the body, beriberi produces a huge number of problems primarily affecting those organs. These changes in function generate what we call symptoms. Lack of energy affects the “transmission”, giving rise to symptoms arising from functional changes in the organs thus subserved. However, it must be pointed out that an enzyme/cofactor abnormality in the “transmission” can also interrupt normal function.

In fact, because of inefficient energy production, the symptoms caused by thiamine deficiency occur in so many human diseases that it can be regarded as the great imitator of all human disease. We now know that nutritional inadequacy is not the only way to develop beriberi. Genetic changes in the ability of thiamine to combine with its enzyme, or changes in the enzyme itself, produce the same symptoms as nutritional inadequacy. It has greatly enlarged our perspective towards the causes of human disease. Thiamine has a role in the processing of protein, fat and carbohydrate, the essential ingredients of food.

Generation of Symptoms

Here is the diagnostic problem. The earliest effects of thiamine deficiency are felt in the hindbrain that controls the automatic brain/body signaling mechanism known as the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS also signals the glands in the endocrine system, each of which is able to release a cellular messenger. A hormone may not be produced in the gland because of energy failure, thus breaking down the essential governance of the body by the brain. Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) or pseudo-hypoxia (thiamine deficiency produces cellular changes like those from hypoxia) is a potentially dangerous situation affecting the brain and a fight-or-flight reflex may be generated. This, as most people know, is a protective reflex that prepares us for either killing the enemy or fleeing and it can be initiated by any form of perceived danger. Thus, thiamine deficiency may initiate this reflex repeatedly in someone that seeks medical advice for it. Not recognizing its underlying cause, it is diagnosed as “panic attacks”. Panic attacks are usually treated by psychologists and psychiatrists with some form of tranquilizer because of the anxiety expressed by the patient. It is easy to understand how it is seen as psychological, although the sensation of anxiety is initiated in the brain as part of the fight-or-flight reflex and will disappear with thiamine restoration. It may be worse than that: because the heart is affected by the autonomic nervous system, there may be a complaint of heart palpitations in association with the panic attacks and the heart might be considered the seat of the disease, to be treated by a cardiologist. The defining signal from the ANS is ignored or not recognized. Because it is purely a functional change, the routine laboratory tests are normal and the symptoms are therefore considered to be psychological, or psychosomatic. The irony is that when the physician tells the patient “it is all in your head”, he is completely correct but not recognizing that it is a biochemical functional change and that it has nothing to do with Freudian psychology.

A Sense of Pleasure

A friend of mine has become well aware that alcohol, in any form, or sugar, will automatically give him a migraine headache. He still will take ice cream and suffer the consequences. I have had patients tell me that they have given up this and that “but I can’t give up sugar: it is the only pleasure that I ever get”. They still came back to me to treat the symptoms. We have come to understand that we have no self-responsibility for our own health. If we get sick, it is just bad luck and the wonders of modern medicine can achieve a cure. The trouble is that a mild degree of thiamine deficiency might produce symptoms that will make it more difficult to make the necessary decisions for our own well-being. Let me give some examples of symptoms that are typically related to this and are not being recognized.

  • Occasional headache
  • Occasional heartburn or abdominal pain
  • Occasional diarrhea or constipation
  • Allergies
  • Fatigue
  • Emotional lability
  • Insomnia
  • Nightmares
  • Pins and needles
  • Hair falling out
  • Heart palpitations
  • Persistent cough for no apparent reason
  • Voracious or loss of appetite

The point is that thiamine governs the energy synthesis that is essential to our total function and it can affect virtually any group of cells in the body. However, the brain, heart and nervous system, particularly the autonomic (automatic) nervous system (ANS) are the most energy requiring organs and are likely to be most affected. Since the brain sends signals to every organ in the body via the ANS, a distortion of the signaling mechanism can make it appear that the organ receiving the signal is at fault. For example, the heart may accelerate because of a signal from the brain, not because the heart itself is at fault. Hence, heart palpitations are often treated as heart disease when a mild degree of thiamine deficiency in the brain is responsible. We have known for many years that sugar in all its different forms can and will precipitate mild thiamine deficiency. It is probably the reason why sugar is considered to be a frequent cause of trouble. If thiamine deficiency is mild, any form of minor stress may precipitate a much more serious form of the deficiency.

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Derrick Lonsdale M.D., is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), Fellow of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (FACAM). Though now retired, Dr. Lonsdale was a practitioner in pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic for 20 years and was Head of the Section of Biochemical Genetics at the Clinic. In 1982, Lonsdale joined the Preventive Medicine Group to specialize in nutrient-based therapy. Dr. Lonsdale has written over 100 published papers and the conclusions support the idea that healing comes from the body itself rather than from external medical interventions.

12 Comments

  1. I have a 18 month old family member who has a movement disorder of some sort. Her mother told me she smells like maple syrup and indeed I agree. A number of medical practitioners agreed with me that she needs to be seen by a pediatric neurologist but the parents refuse to acknowledge that it is anything but behavioral. We finally turned the parents over to CPS who claim to have taken her to a family doctor who says she is fine so CPS stepped out. I have seen her do the same thing since. In the past I had a Dr. who gave me a B1 IV for neuropathy that was so bad I could hardly drive and extreme depression, etc. I was given B1 shots by a neurologist to administer myself at home for a year and that helped me a LOT! I believed through research that our family must have a genetic defect PDCD. A neurologist at OHSU thought we may have a calcium channelopathy because I have had Periodic Paralysis years ago. I have videos of the baby doing what I think are seizures. The entire family has so many symptoms I can’t list them all here. Dr. Johnathan Wright thru testing said all 4 children and I have primary hypo-hypothalamus problem. Clayton Foundation in TX did a study testing nutrient absorption on our family and not husband but I & all 4 kids were noted to have an inability to absorb B2, B3, and biotin and our cells suck up 4 times the normal amt. of calcium. Please comment if possible any ideas or specific testing that would help!

    • Evidently I never saw this. There is a disease called Maple Syrup Urine Disease due to a genetic fault in the enzyme that processes leucine, valine and isoleucine, essential to protein metabolism. The enzyme requires thiamine and magnesium as cofactors that enable the enzyme to function. This story virtually guarantees thiamine/magnesium deficiency. It would be an exciting discovery for a physician. If you get back to reading this, consult Overton who has unusual nutrient knowledge.

  2. Im 49 years old I have a tremor in my head, thiamine can help me with the condition I really need something because I dont want to take gabapentin the doctor give me thanks

  3. Dear Dr. Lonsdale,
    We need urgent help for our 23 year old son. He may have started 3 years ago with thiamine deficiency looking back and feels hopeless at this point – barely able to function and he fears irreversible damage. I won’t write the extremely long list of symptoms here. He has tried most forms of thiamine with some positive but very inconsistent results. Is there anyone in San Diego who can help us or anyone who can consult with someone here for proper testing and treatment? I fear allopathic invasive procedures and drugs. Thank you for any suggestions.

  4. Vector borne pathogens can take down the immune system and then we see reactivation of herpes viruses and some cancers that arise from reactivation of those herpes viruses. Certain pathogens lead to specific cancers. We learned that H pylori was implicated in gastric cancers. The compromised immune system leads to cancer taking hold. Which cancer one gets may depend on the pathogen or combo of pathogens a person has. Opportunistic fungal infections are the norm in immunocompromised folks. Fenbendazole on pub med showed anti tumor activity.

  5. Dr. Lonsdale, Could you please let me know if you have articles or a book talking about the use of thiamine in cancer patients? Is it safe to correct a cancer patient deficiency of vitamin B1. A friend’s husband had all the symptoms that looked like subclinical beriberi. She asked the doctor in the hospital to test him for deficiency of B1 but they said that it was irrelevant because cancer patients should not take vitamin B1 since it makes the cancer grows faster. The problem is that many medications cause side effects that looks more like vitamin B1 deficiency. Moreover, It doesn’t make sense to me because B1 deficiency causes the lacto acidosis that can cause damage in the DNA and consequently cancer. Do you have any experience with the use of B1 on cancer patients?

    • This is a very interesting question because few people are aware of what has been published in the medical literature concerning the relationship of thiamine with cancer. If anyone wishes to know more, it is easy to go to Pub Med and type in “thiamine and cancer”. It has been found from animal study that a low dose of thiamine accelerates the tumor. A dose of 25,000 times the RDA for mice decreases the size of the tumor. I am pretty certain that this relates to the Warburg effect and needs more research. Here is an example of a recent paper: Lu’o’ng, KV, Nguyen, LT. The role of thiamine in cancer: possible genetic and cellular signaling mechanisms. Cancer Genomics Proteomics. 2013 July-August; 10 (4): 169-85. The abstract is available on Pub Med. I came across a paper in which a group of cancer patients were studied. No less than 55% of them were found to have thiamine deficiency, so I do not find this post an unusual feature that a cancer patient had the symptoms of thiamine deficiency.I agree that many medications affect mitochondrial function, with thiamine deficiency as a major part of the damage. You would think that American medicine would be interested in this kind of research but unfortunately I find that most of the manuscripts that discuss the relationship between cancer and vitamins come from other parts of the world, particularly Eastern countries. Over the years I have become convinced that sugar in all its various forms may well initiate the genetic mechanisms that lead to some cancers. It may be that it turns on the oncogenes and American research has focused on the genetic background to the exclusion of considering it in relationship to the Warburg effect.

      • I’m a healthy 25 year old. Play football at professional level so I’m active and demand a lot from my body. Also I eat well, a lot of everything I’d say. Not that strict in my diet but I’d say healthy compared to most around me. General, but please could you advise me if I should take thiamine or any vitamin supplements? My gut says that I FOOD should be enough, but sometimes I question that. Would love advise from someone with your knowledge. Thank you! Great read btw!

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