Proposed standard for human blood vitamin B₁ value using HPLC

Abstract

Standard reference ranges for all laboratory test values are mandatory. This study was designed to establish a reference range for blood vitamin B1 levels, since the normal range has not been determined in the Japanese population. We founded the Japan Committee for Vitamin Laboratory Standards, which was incorporated with the Vitamin Society of Japan and the Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science. We standardized whole blood vitamin B1 levels using three HPLC techniques (post-column reverse-phase HPLC, pre-column reverse-phase HPLC, and precolumn GP-HPLC). The reference range was obtained in 54 volunteers administered a 1,800 kcal diet with 2 mg of vitamin B1 (1.74 mg measured) daily to avoid marginal vitamin B1 deficiency in the population. The range for each assay was 26-47, 28-51, and 28-56 ng/ml, respectively. Our data suggest that 26-28 ng/ml is the lower limit of normal for whole blood vitamin B1, but further studies in a larger population are needed in order to obtain more definitive results.

Dietary Thiamin and Riboflavin Intake and Blood Thiamin and Riboflavin Concentrations in College Swimmers Undergoing Intensive Training

“…Changes in thiamin concentration in the whole blood of male and female subjects showed a similar trend (Table 4); the concentration of this vitamin decreased significantly during the intensive-training period (from 41 ± 6 ng/ml in the preparation period to 36 ± 3 ng/ml in the intensive-training period for male subjects and from 38 ± 10 ng/ml to 31 ± 5 ng/ml for female subjects). In the intensive-training period, the blood thiamin concentrations of 2 female subjects were slightly below the range for a normal person (26-56 ng/ml; proposed by the Japanese Committee for Vitamin Laboratory Standards as the normal clinical range; Itokawa et al, 1999), but they did not show any signs or symptoms of thiamin deficiency, such as anorexia, fatigue, and edema. No significant change was observed in blood riboflavin concentration in either male or female subjects (92.1 ± 14.0 ng/ml in the preparation period and 90.3 ± 13.5 ng/ml in the intensive-training period for male subjects, 94.7 ± 10.5 ng/ml and 93.1 ± 9.0 ng/ml, respectively, for female subjects.…”

Prevalence of thiamine deficiency in older hospitalized patients

“…Whole blood vitamin B1 concentrations were obtained from the local laboratory database. The measurements were performed at hospital admission with the HPLC-based method from whole blood vitamin B1 with the reference range of normality as 20–100 ng/mL 23 , 24 according to our local laboratory, and the whole blood vitamin B1 level of <20 ng/mL (=59.30 nmol/L) was considered as deficiency. According to previous older patients admitted to geriatric acute care ward at hospital, 25 , 26 the participants of the current study represented a population of frail older hospitalized patients.…”

Long-Term Maintenance of Normal Serum Vitamin B₁ Levels Is Associated with Better Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure

“…We set the cutoff value of normal VB1 at 28 ng/mL or more. 11,12) The control group had normal VB1 concentrations and no VB1 supplementation (normal group, n = 25). As there are no guidelines for VB1 supplementation therapy in patients with HF, the dose and duration of VB1 supplementation were independently assigned by each attending doctor.…”