Thiamine Thiamine Thiamine

Thiamine and Autoimmune Diseases

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Human Leukocyte Antigens are coded for in our DNA.  They act like street signs on cells so the body knows that they are "Self".   Tissue typing in organ transplantation looks for donors with "Self" street signs similar to the recipient's in order to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ.  

The HLA DQ genes code for immune cells.  Some immune cells are encoded to recognize certain protein strings when that protein string attaches to the receptor on its cell membrane.  Originally, these protein strings were found in the cell walls of harmful viruses and bacteria.  

I like to think of these immune cells as patrolling police with orders to "be on the lookout for armed and dangerous suspects matching your cell membrane receptor description".  

However, segments of these dangerous protein strings are also found in the carbohydrate storage protein Gluten.  During digestion, Gluten segments bind with Tissue Transglutaminase, an enzyme that builds and repairs structural components of our "Self" cell membranes in our bodies.  

This Gluten-Transglutenaminase globule fits into the receptors on the patrolling police immune cells and sets off an alarm.  Mother immune cells begin producing antibodies (anti-tissue Transglutaminase antibodies ie, tTg antibodies) against the Transglutaminase-Gluten globule.  

Unfortunately, we have tissue Transglutaminase in the structure of all our cell membranes.  The antibodies attack healthy cells in our digestive tract, damaging them, causing them to signal to nearby cells "I'm sick, get away from me so you don't catch it!".  Spaces appear between cells.  The tight junction between cells is lost.  Gastrointestinal permeability is compromised.  This allows for other Transglutaminase-gluten globules to leave the intestinal tract, enter the blood stream, and travel to other organs and cause problems there. 

All the while, more police immune cells are alerted along the way with more mother cells producing more antibodies.  Sort of ends up looking like a "Smokey and the Bandit" movie in my mind, but with more than one "Bandit" driving around.  

So, people with a genetic predisposition (they have HLA DQ genes known to code for Celiac Disease) can go for years without developing Celiac Disease.  There needs to be a trigger that turns the genes on.  Triggers can be physical stressors like having an infection (like the flu or the common cold), or an injury, or an emotional stressor (like losing a loved one or abuse).  

There's some scientific proof that Thiamine insufficiency triggers autoimmune diseases.  During times of illness and emotional stress, the body requires additional Thiamine to provide the energy for the increased metabolic demand that comes with physical and emotional trauma or stresses.  Athletes have higher metabolic demands.   People who work outside in sunshine have higher metabolic demands, too.  This is because light (sunlight or indoor lighting) breaks thiamine down, denatures it, so that it cannot be used.  People who drink alcohol need more thiamine because alcohol will cleave thiamine in half making it useless.  People who eat a diet high in carbohydrates have a higher metabolic demand for thiamine and the other B vitamins needed to turn food into energy.  

Mitochondria are involved in producing energy, ATP, from Thiamine Vitamin B 1.  When there is a thiamine deficiency inside a cell, the mitochondria can no longer make energy ATP.  This is relayed to the DNA.  On the DNA, a switch is thrown to signal there's no thiamine, and another switch is turned on.  This is the switch that turns on the DQ autoimmune genes coded for in that DNA.  Whatever autoimmune genes are on your DNA start turning on. 

Thiamine Vitamin B 1 is needed to turn food into energy for the body along with the seven other B vitamins and minerals. Thiamine and magnesium make life sustaining enzymes.  Thiamine does stuff by itself, too, like regulate the immune response, and prevent mast cells from degranulating histamine. Thiamine influences which bacteria grow in our microbiome.  Thiamine deficiency allows Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).  Immune responses and inflammatory cytokines are higher in thiamine deficiency.  

Thiamine cannot be stored long (18 days).  Thiamine insufficiency or deficiency can occur within three days if stores are depleted due to high metabolic demand and depleted stored thiamine.   

The majority of people with Diabetes have been shown to be deficient in Thiamine.  People with obesity who plan gastric bypass surgery have been found to have insufficient thiamine.  People Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid problems) have been found to improve with thiamine supplementation.  People with autoimmune arthritis have been shown to improve with thiamine supplementation.  People with MS have been shown to improve with thiamine supplementation.   

Blood tests are not reliable measures of thiamine level.  The brain controls the amount of thiamine in the blood stream.  The brain will order tissues to release their stored thiamine into the blood stream in order to keep a constant supply going to the brain, heart, and lungs.  So, there can be organs with depleted thiamine stores, while blood levels stay constant.  This results in a localized deficiency within the organ or tissue.  

The best way to tell if there's a deficiency is to take thiamine hydrochloride for several weeks and look for health improvements.  Higher amounts of thiamine are needed to correct thiamine insufficiency or deficiency.  This helps replenish thiamine stores inside cells and tissues as well as meet increased metabolic demands.  

Processed foods containing wheat are required to have vitamins added to them to replace the ones lost with the removal of the germ and bran.  Food manufacturers use Thiamine Mononitrate, a cheap, shelf-stable form of thiamine that is not easily absorbed nor utilized by the body.  

A diet high in ultra processed foods, high in sugar and simple carbohydrates requires additional thiamine to turn the carbs into energy for the body.  Excess carbohydrates and low thiamine encourages SIBO.  For every 1000 kcal of carbohydrates the body needs an additional 500 mg of Thiamine.  The RDA is based on the minimum amount required to prevent disease.  This was set in the 1940's, when people ate very differently.  

Early symptoms of thiamine insufficiency include depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and changes in mood and cognitive function, digestive problems, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, muscle cramps, high blood pressure, tachycardia, blurry vision, insomnia or other sleep disturbances.  All so easily overlooked or attributed to daily stresses.