Thiamine supplementation mood and cognitive functioning

Abstract

One hundred and twenty young adult females took either a placebo or 50 mg thiamine, each day for 2 months. Before and after taking the tablets, mood, memory and reaction times were monitored. An improvement in thiamine status was associated with reports of being more clearheaded, composed and energetic. The taking of thiamine had no influence on memory but reaction times were faster following supplementation. These influences took place in subjects whose thiamine status, according to the traditional criterion, was adequate.

The effects of nutrients on mood

“…There is a series of double-blind placebo controlled studies that report, in at least some of the population, that micronutrient supplementation is associated with better mood [44][45][46][47] but also memory, attention and scores on intelligence tests.…”

“…Supplementation with thiamine for two months, under a double-blind procedure, resulted in increased sociability and sensitivity. In a British study 47 120 young adult females took either a placebo or 50 mg of thiamine, each day for two months. An improvement in thiamine status was associated with reports of being more clearheaded, composed and energetic.…”

“…There are several reasons to suggest that the improvement in mood reflected a physiological response. Firstly, the improvement in mood in these studies typically correlated with an improvement in thiamine status, that is it was those with an initially poor thiamine status whose mood improved 44,47 . There is consistent evidence that a significant minority of industrialized populations consume diets that offer marginal amounts of thiamine 48 .…”

A good-quality breakfast is associated with better mental health in adolescence

“…As B vitamins are water-soluble, body stores are relatively small and can decline over a period of a few weeks in the absence of sufficient dietary intake. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies show that thiamin supplementation improves composure, mood and clarity of thought, even in subjects who are classified as having adequate thiamin status (11,43) . Fortified breakfast cereals are also good sources of folate and Fe, which are used in the synthesis of serotonin (44) and other neurotransmitters (45) ; Fe is additionally used to bind neurotransmitters to receptors in the brain (46) .…”

“…Breakfast studies in children and adults indicate that not eating any breakfast, or consuming a poor-quality breakfast without items from core food groups, may contribute to dietary inadequacies that are not compensated for at other meals (7,8) and may lead to higher consumption of energy-dense snacks later in the day (9) . Suboptimal nutrient intake or meal skipping has been associated with adverse effects on brain function in different population groups for areas such as attention and memory (10) , mood (11) and behaviour (12) , suggesting a possible link with overall mental health. Investigating links between mental health and nutrition in young people is especially important as adolescence is a crucial period for the development of behavioural patterns and social skills that will influence the individual's later adult functioning (13) .…”