Thiamine supplements are usually taken at doses well above the RDA, such as 100-300mg, in instances where thiamine is considered to be deficient such as high blood sugar or high alcohol intake. When using thiamine at this dose timing does not matter much and either one dose can be taken in the morning or multiple doses throughout; thiamine does not need to be ingested with food to be absorbed.
Vitamin B1
How to Take
Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details
Easily stay on top of nutrition research
Become an Examine.com member to get access to the latest research. 150+ studies summarized across 25 different categories every month.
Becoming a member also unlocks our study database of 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes.
Already a member? Click here to log in.
Make informed decisions about your health
Human Effect Matrix
Unlocked for Examine members
The Human Effect Matrix summarizes human studies to tell you what effects Vitamin B1 has on your body, how much evidence there is, and how strong these effects are.
Full details are available to Examine members.
| Grade | Level of Evidence [show legend] |
|---|---|
|
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials |
|
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled |
|
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies |
|
Uncontrolled or observational studies only |
|
Level of Evidence
?
The amount of high quality evidence. The more
evidence, the more we can trust the results.
|
Outcome |
Magnitude of effect
?
The direction and size of the supplement's impact on
each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
|
Consistency of research results
?
Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or
VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
|
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Strong
|
Very High See 2 studies |
One study found a staggering reduction in symptoms with 100 mg of vitamin B1 daily. It wasn't clear what the baseline vitamin B1 status of the participants was. Another study found a notable benefit of 100 mg daily over 2 months, and also that the improvement was additive with calcium, with the combination being notably more potent than either separately. Much more research is needed.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
In instances where thiamine is deficient, replenishment of thiamine appears to cause a modest decrease in blood pressure.
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No changes of note in people with high blood sugar
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No significant changes in people with hyperglycemia
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No change noted in those with high blood sugar
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No change noted in people with high blood sugar
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No observed changes in a population with hyperglycemia
|
Stay on top of the latest research
Become an Examine Personalized member to access the latest nutrition research on over 400 supplements across more than 600 different health goals, outcomes, conditions, and more. Information tailored to you, updated every month.
Bonus: unlock the supplement Human Effect Matrix and all health topics on Examine.com.
Frequently Asked Questions and Articles on Vitamin B1
Do B vitamins increase the risk of getting cancer?
Recent evidence has linked B vitamins (specifically B6 and B12) to an increased risk of lung cancer in men, especially in smokers. Here, we analyze the study and interview the lead author, Dr. Theodore Brasky.
Things to Note
Is a Form Of
Other Functions:
Also Known As
Thiamine
Get our free 5-day course on the essentials of supplementation.
At Examine.com, our incentives line up with yours — getting unbiased information. That's why we don’t sell any advertising or supplements.
Join over 250,000 people who have learned about effective versus overrated supplements, tips for buying supplements, and how to combine supplements for safety and efficacy.
Click here to see all 18 references.
