Reference : Chapter 17: Thiamin Parts of books : Contribution to
collective works Life sciences : Biochemistry, biophysics &
molecular biology Chapter 17: Thiamin 10th Edition Present
Knowledge in Nutrition Erdman, Jr, John W. MacDonald, Ian A.
Zeisel, Steven H. Blackwell Publishing Ltd [en] Thiamine ;
Vitamins ; Nutrition [en] Thiamin (vitamin B1) was the first
vitamin characterized and its discovery was at the origin of the
concept of vitamin. Thiamin deficiency mainly affects the
nervous system and causes two classical diseases, beriberi (a
polyneuritic syndrome) and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
(anterograde amnesia resulting from brain lesions in
alcoholics). Thiamin transport through the membranes of
intestinal and other cells requires specific carriers. As the
process is rather slow, various lipid-soluble thiamin precursors
with better bioavailability have been developed. In the cytosol,
thiamin is pyrophosphorylated to thiamin diphosphate (ThDP), an
indispenable cofactor in cell energy metabolism. There