beriberi is a deficiency of
The most common cause of beriberi in the United States is alcoholism. Heavy alcohol use can inhibit the bodyâs ability to absorb thiamine, leading to a deficiency. Rarely, beriberi can be inherited. Inherited beriberi creates a dysfunction in a personâs ability to take up and use thiamine. Beriberi can also sometimes be found in nursing infants whose mothersâ diets are inadequate in thiamine and in formula-fed infants whose formula is inadequate in thiamine.