Alcohol impairs the absorption of many nutrients and is especially detrimental to the body's ability to process thiamin. Very young children and elderly people who do not eat a well-balanced diet are also in danger of developing a serious thiamin deficiency. Although rare, an uncorrected thiamin deficiency can lead to symptoms of beriberi, a disorder that affects the nervous system and may involve the heart and circulatory systems. It also helps release energy from fat, and together with adenosine triphosphate, it forms a compound needed to convert carbohydrates into energy. Thiamin is important for normal growth and development.
Physicians prescribe thiamin supplements to treat beriberi.
Thiamin supplements are also important for alcoholics. The mental confusion, vision disturbances, and staggering gait typically associated with alcoholism are also symptoms of beriberi. Oral overdoses are extremely rare. Large injections of thiamin occasionally cause an allergic reaction similar to anaphylactic shock. Women require an addition 0.4 milligrams of thiamin each day during pregnancy.