Thiamine On Your Fitness Journey

Advantages of Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

Thiamine, thiamin, or Vitamin B1 is a B complex vitamin. The B complex family has 8 vitamins and thiamin was named B1, because it was the first vitamin that was discovered in the B complex family. Thiamin is found in many foods and is very important in keeping the human body in proper functioning condition.

Vitamins of the B complex class are all water-soluble. It is because of this that these vitamins travel through the bloodstream and can quickly reach to every part of the human body.

Thiamin enables our body to breakdown carbohydrates, and then uses them as energy. Thiamin acts as building blocks for a healthy body, it directly impacts our energy levels, cell metabolism, and brain function. The following are some of the benefits that you can get if your Vitamin B1 level is in the ideal range.

These benefits include –
* Good eyesight
* Healthy Appetite
* Muscle tone, and
* Cardiovascular health, just to name a few.

IMPORTANCE OF THIAMIN FOR ATHLETES

As mentioned earlier thiamin is necessary for converting carbohydrates into energy. An athlete physically performs more than the average person who does not exercise. This means the requirement for thiamin increases the more you exercise. A study from the “US National Library of Medicine” shows that thiamine has a positive effect on carbohydrate metabolism and decreases fatigue during exercise.

RECOVERY AFTER AN EXERCISE SESSION

When we workout, the amount of lactic acid increases in our body. It is thiamin that is required by the body to process the resulting lactic acid buildup. This lactic acid building during a workout may also be felt as a burning sensation. There is also a Dutch study that shows athletes who were deprived of thiamin, had experienced a decrease in exercise performance in just a few weeks. This was in comparison to the athletes who had normal thiamin levels.

The ones with lower thiamin levels were experiencing fast lactate buildup. This means that their muscles were unable to deal with the increased levels of lactic acid that were being produced. Another study found that athletes who were supplemented with thiamin were experiencing less fatigue after an exercise session.

INCREASE IN YOUR PERFORMANCE

There is a study that is done on the effects that thiamin has on the endurance of athletes during a workout session. Athletes who were taking thiamin supplements during their workouts had decreased ammonia and lactate concentration.

Ammonia and Lactate build up during exercise. When their levels rise – the excess concentration restricts the recovery process of the body. This means that, the more thiamine an athlete has in their system the more they can perform optimally during an exercise session. This is also taken that they have other vitamins and minerals balances properly in their diet, as well as, a healthy diet routine.

Athletes should take care of their thiamin levels. Thiamin rich foods and supplements can help them not only perform better but also recover faster.