Could Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Save Alcoholics from Memory Loss?
Many studies indicate that alcoholics are malnourished for a variety of reasons: • either they do not consume a balanced diet because they ingest a large amount of alcohol, which is highly caloric but very low in body-building nutrients, or • the alcoholic beverages they consume prevent their bodies from properly using the nutrients that promote good health. One such important nutrient affected by alcoholic malnourishment is vitamin B1 (thiamine). Thiamine plays a vital role in the breakdown of glucose to produce energy for the brain. Thus, an absence of thiamine results in an inadequate supply of energy to the brain. The areas of the brain most affected by this are the ones associated with regulating memory function the hippocampus and the mammillary bodies. Consequently, thiamine deficiency produces a memory loss disorder called Wernicke-Karsakoff syndrome(WKS). WKS is typically associated with chronic alcoholism; however, it may be associated with general malnutrition or other condi
