What is benfotiamine? Benefits and Side Effects

What is benfotiamine: Benfotiamine is a nutritional supplement that is converted in the body into thiamine, or vitamin B1 .

Thiamine helps the body convert nutrients into energy, which is essential for brain function. Some people use benfotiamine to increase thiamine levels because it has a high absorption capacity. This means that it reaches the circulation quickly and produces high levels of thiamine in the body.

Because it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, benfotiamine may also be beneficial for tension nerve pain in people with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

In general, it is important to talk with your healthcare provider about any nutritional supplements you plan to take and to check for any possible interactions with other supplements or medications.

Benefits of benfotiamine

• For diabetic neuropathy.
• Cognitive improvement in Alzheimer’s patients.
• Overcoming alcohol addiction.
• To smoke.
• Kidney protection.
• Antitumors.
• Antioxidant properties.

For diabetic neuropathy: It has been shown that treatment with benfotiamine has a significant effect on the treatment of diabetic nephropathy, as this is one of the severe complications of diabetes. Preclinical studies in mice have shown that benfotiamine prevents triphosphate accumulation in diabetes, thus preventing the development of nephropathy.

Cognitive improvement in Alzheimer’s patients: Studies have shown that benfotiamine confers beneficial effects on cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, benfotiamine has been shown to reduce amyloid deposition in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease.

Overcoming alcohol addiction: Alcohol addiction causes a deficiency in essential nutrients in the body, and therefore taking benfotiamine in these cases helps compensate for this deficiency.

For smoking: Trials in healthy volunteers have shown that short-term treatment with benfotiamine can partially restore large blood vessel function in healthy smokers.

Kidney protection: Studies have found that benfotiamine supplements may be useful in alleviating antibiotic-induced nephrotoxicity by improving oxidative stress and inflammation of renal tubular cells.

Anti-tumor agents: Studies show that using benfotiamine helps eliminate highly proliferating cells through the phenomenon of apoptosis. On the other hand, it was also observed that benfotiamine showed synergistic activity with cytarabine, an agent that has a role in chemotherapy, to eliminate myeloid leukemia cells.

Antioxidant properties: Benfotiamine is also a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, which is produced by inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes.

Food sources of benfotiamine

Sources of benfotiamine in food: Benfotiamine can be obtained mainly from garlic and onions .

In addition to the mentioned sources of benfotiamine, it can be obtained by making it in the laboratory. Benfotiamine is similar to thiamine, but is absorbed by the body better than thiamine.

The body then changes benfotiamine into thiamine. As mentioned, benfotiamine can be manufactured from some plants, such as garlic and onions. Since the body absorbs benfotiamine better than thiamine, benfotiamine can increase the amount of thiamine in the body. This may help prevent or treat some symptoms or diseases caused by low thiamine levels.

Harmful effects of benfotiamine

• Increase in liver enzymes.
• Hypertension.
• Bradycardia, or sinus bradycardia.
• Increased pulse.
• Increase in white blood cell count.
• proteinuria; That is, the appearance of protein in the urine.

Taking supplements such as benfotiamine may have potential side effects. These side effects may be common or severe. However, these side effects are generally minimal. There were no significant side effects reported.

Among other side effects, we also mention the following, but they are rare:

• Cough.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Itching.
• Swelling of the face, lips, eyelids, or tongue.
• Breathing difficulty.
• diarrhea.
• stomach pain.
• Nausea.

Benfotiamine dosage

Benfotiamine dosage: The ideal dose for a benfotiamine supplement is 150 mg, once or twice daily .

If you want to add supplements to your diet, benfotiamine is available in different forms.

So, choose the model that best suits your diet and lifestyle. Always remember to talk to your doctor before adding any supplements to your nutritional routine.

The difference between thiamine and benfotiamine

The difference between thiamine and benfotiamine: The main difference between benfotiamine and thiamine is that the body’s absorption of benfotiamine is better than thiamine.

In addition, there are many differences between them:

By definition: Benfotiamine is a chemical similar to thiamine, but better absorbed than it.

While thiamine is a vitamin found in food, medicine, and many nutritional supplements.

In terms of absorption: Benfotiamine is absorbed faster, while thiamine is absorbed slowly.

In terms of source: Benfotiamine comes from a synthetic source, while thiamine may be synthetic or natural.

What are the sources of thiamine?

• Proteins.
• Vegetables and fruits.
• Legumes.

Proteins: Thiamine, or vitamin B1, is found in many proteins, including:

• Nuts.
• eggs.
• salmon.
• And beans.

Vegetables and fruits: Thiamine is found in the following vegetables and fruits:

• Cauliflower.
• Orange.
• Potatoes.
• asparagus.
• And cabbage.

Legumes: We find the following:

• Hulls and pulp of grains.
• Breakfast cereals containing vitamin B1.
• Products made from enriched white flour or white rice.

The National Institutes of Health notes that one serving of fortified breakfast cereal provides 1.2 mg of thiamine, which meets the daily thiamine recommendation for most adults. In addition, one slice of whole wheat bread contains 0.1 mg, or 8% of the daily requirement.

On the other hand, heating, cooking, preparing and boiling foods in water destroys thiamine. Since vitamin B1 is water-soluble, it dissolves in cooking water as well. Therefore, people need additional sources of this vitamin on an ongoing basis to prevent vitamin deficiency cases.

Symptoms of thiamine deficiency

• Anorexia.
• Tired.
• Irritability.
• Nerve damage.
• Numbness of hands and feet.
• Blurred vision.
• Nausea and vomiting.

Loss of appetite: This can be an early sign of a vitamin thiamine deficiency. This may lead to unexplained weight loss.

Fatigue: Thiamine deficiency can appear in the form of fatigue, which may be rapid or slow, depending on the severity of the deficiency. This is explained by the fact that thiamine has a role in energy production, which causes fatigue if it is deficient.

Irritability: Thiamine deficiency may cause a severe nervous state, due to a change in mood. Discomfort is often among the early signs of thiamine deficiency, and may appear along with fatigue within a few weeks.

Nerve damage: Among the most well-known side effects of prolonged, severe thiamine deficiency (beriberi) is nerve damage, also known as neuropathy. There are two types of beriberi that can occur: wet beriberi and dry beriberi.

Numbness in the hands and feet: The reason behind this symptom is that thiamine is necessary for the function of the nerves that reach the arms and legs. Over time, untreated thiamine deficiency can lead to more serious damage to these peripheral nerves.

Blurred vision: As a result of its neurological effects, as mentioned, it may also clearly affect the optic nerves. This may cause confusion and blurred vision. Some small studies have found that supplements used to correct thiamine deficiency may also significantly improve vision in these cases.

Nausea and vomiting: Similar to fatigue and irritability, nausea and vomiting can be nonspecific symptoms of many conditions, including thiamine deficiency. However, it is one of the most common symptoms that may occur in the event of a vitamin deficiency.