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Researchers found people with the disease expelled
thiamine -vitamin B1 - from their bodies at 15 times
the normal rate in a study of 94 people.
The Warwick University team said thiamine helped
ward off complications such as heart disease and eye
problems, the Diabetologia journal said.
Experts said diet supplements could potentially help
people with diabetes. It is the first time a
deficiency of the vitamin, which is found in meat,
yeast and grains, has been identified in people with
diabetes.
It has been missed in the past because of the way
thiamine levels were measured. Traditionally, the
activity of an enzyme called transketolase in red
blood cells has been used to indicate thiamine
levels. But the researchers found that increased
activity - usually a sign of high thiamine levels -
was also associated with the body's response to
deficiency.
Instead, the team measured thiamine levels in blood
plasma and found concentrations were 76% lower in
people with type 1 diabetes and 75% lower in people
with type 2.
Thiamine is key to warding off vascular problems
such as kidney, retina and nerve damage as well as
heart disease and stroke. It works by helping
protect cells against the effect of high glucose
levels.
Trials are now being carried out to see if
supplementing diet with thiamine could return levels
to normal.
Diets
Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: "It
is early days, but it could have a huge difference.
Supplementing diets could be an effective way of
minimising the risk of these complications."
Matt Hunt, of Diabetes UK, which helped to fund the
study, said more research was needed. But he added:
"The study could potentially have very exciting
outcomes.
Around 80% of people with diabetes die of
cardiovascular disease and diabetes is the leading
cause of blindness in the UK's working age
population. Therefore, any research that could help
must be looked at seriously." |