Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)- General

Vitamin B1 is an essential water soluble vitamin. You cannot store it therefore you need some everyday.  It is important for maintaining proper functioning of the nervous system and the cardiac system. It also helps the immune system to work to it’s capacity, helps us deal with stress, and helps to prevent vision problems  such as cataracts.

Vitamin B1 is found in pork and pork products, wholegrains, rye, and navy beans and kidney beans.

Deficiency of vitamin B1 causes Beri beri, a disorder characteristed by confusion, nerve problems, muscle wasting and rapid heartbeat.  A diet consisting mainly of white flour, white sugar and other highly processed carbohydrates may cause thiamine deficiency. Deficiency is commonly seen in people who drink heavily (often instead of eating), as Wernickes–Korsakoff syndrome.

The recommended daily intake for healthy individuals is 1.5mg daily.

Vitamin B1& Autism Research

In a study of nutritional status among Chinese children with autism the vitamin B1 intake was 80-90% of the daily recommended intake.¹

A case of Wernike’s encephalopathy in a 3 year old child with autism, was resolved on treatment with intravenous  vitamin B1.  The child had an eating disorder, which escalated to very restrained eating over 3 weeks, and presented at hospital unconscious with clusters of seizures.²

Allithiamine is a derivative of vitamin B1. It is commonly found in garlic that has been chopped and exposed to the air before cooking.  It has potent anticancer properties.  The use of allithiamine as TTFD in autism has received some attention, as it has been shown to increase the excretion of heavy metals – by chelation. Lonsdale³ published a pilot study in 2002, but there have been no followup large scale studies reported.  TTFD can be administered as a suppository or used as a topical cream, marketed as Authia from Westlake labs. 

References in Vitamin B1 & Autism:

1.   A preliminary study of nutritional status and intake in Chinese children with autism

      Xia et al..

      Eur J Pediatr 2010 Oct; 169(10): 1201-6

2.   Treatment of autism spectrum children with thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulphide: a pilot stud.

      Xia et al..

      Eur J Pediatr 2010 Oct; 169(10): 1201-6

3.   A preliminary study of nutritional status and intake in Chinese children with autism.

      Lonsdale..

      Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2002 Aug: 23(4): 303-8

 

 

A major study result was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December 2010.* The report indicates that children with autism show strong evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction.

The mitochondria are the ‘power houses’ in cells  in the body, and they produce the energy needed for cellular activities.  The brain, in particular, needs large amounts of this energy for crucial brain function. The study indicates that 80% of autistic children had a 66% reduction in mitochondrial activity of the NADH oxidase enzyme complex. Reduced activity was also identified in the succinate oxidase, ATPase and cytochrome c oxidase mitochondrial enzymes.

Also, if mitochondrial dysfunction, then they produce large amounts of oxygen free radicals, which harm tissues and contribute to oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress in autism could influence the onset of autism. 

We don’t yet know the role that  mitochondrial dysfunction plays in the onset of autism, but it could be caused by damage from environmental toxins, which depending on when the child is exposed may explain why there is such a range of symptoms of autism.

The urinary organic acid can be used to identify if mitochondrial dysfunction is an issue.  This test will also help to identify if there are nutritional deficiencies  of L-Carnitine, CoQ10, vitamins B2 and B5, important for mitochondrial functioning.

 

Helping you help them.

Noreen

 

“Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Autism” Pessah et al, JAMA, (2010); 304: 21; 2389-96.