nutritional disorders
Thiamin Deficiency
Introduction
Thiamin deficiency (causing beriberi) is most common among people subsisting on white rice or highly refined carbohydrates in countries with high rates of food insecurity and among people with alcohol use disorder. Symptoms include diffuse polyneuropathy, high-output heart failure, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Thiamin is given to help diagnose and treat the deficiency. Thiamin is widely available in the diet, particularly in whole grains, meat (especially pork and liver), enriched cereal products, nuts, legumes, and potatoes (see table). Thiamin is involved in carbohydrate, fat, amino acid, glucose, and alcohol metabolism and is particularly important in the function of central and peripheral nerve cells and the myocardium. Thiamin is essentially nontoxic. (See also Overview of Vitamins .) 