I am sure this has been brought up before but I am absolutely shocked that the US has not done more research around the fat-soulable B1 vitamin benfotiaminie. I have done tons of research the last few months, on the great efforts of preventing most high glucose complications. I will site many research studies, mainly on rats (I know not the same) and even some recent ones on humans with great results. Everything I have read states it will help prevent and in some cases reverse neuropathology of the, kidneys, nerves, eyes and even help with the heart and is even beneficial for non-diabetics
Long story short it increases transketolase activity, important enzyme in glucose metabolism, blocks three of the major molecular pathways leading to hypoglycemic damage and decreases the buildup of advance glycation end products (AGE) this is basically what we get faster than non-diabetics when our blood sugar is above 160.
I know it sounds to good to be true but wanted to get others thoughts on this. I have an apt with my endo coming up that I will discuss with and have ordered my capsules online. I will list studies done by Germany and Japan and other European nations on this. I implore you to read the studies and for the websites look at the references
I take it and have notice an improvement in my neuropathy. I also take R- ALA and Evening Primrose Oil which are supposed to help. I stopped taking all for a month this summer and my symptoms got worse. I then added each back individually over a period of 6 weeks. My conclusion is that all helped.
It’s hard to prove cause and effect because I’m constantly trying to fine tune what I do do deal with diabetes, but I will continue to take these supplements
So exactly how much money can you charge for a readily available vitamin? Well, I guess nobody has much motivation to produce and utilize an effective treatment if there is no money to be made.
There has been “some” study and it has had some positive indications, but by no means proof.
Vit B1 in supplement doses over 200 mg can inactivate insulin. Must be different using fat soluable benfotiaminie. Hope you’ll let us know your results.
I had heard about Benfotiamine from another DOC. ( Diabetic On line community) website, dlife.I did not get “great effects”, as far as neuropathy from Benfotiamine, but then I only took it for a about 3 months at 600 mg day. I tink the studies say you need more… Bad Moon, how much do you take? I think I am gong to get some alpha lipoic acid tablets, and the evening primrose oil. The doctor-ptrscribed Neurontin ( Generic Gabapetin is what I take) helps, but if I use more than 200 mgs a day, I get really sleepy and have to take naps. Even on 200 mg, I get sleepy sometimes…
Any body know anything about Metanx, a vitamin supplement that is supposed to help with neuropathy.?My podiatrist precribed it for me, and gave me two bottles to use for as week , as a sample. After a week of Metanx, I see no difference…but again that is a short time.
Well again the big study on this is that when our bodies go into hyperglycemmic mode at least in rats and human trials starting, it actually blocks the damage that is caused by having high blood sugar. I am starting to take about 1,000mg a day 250mg before each meal ill let you know in a few months how I am feeling. And since you can’t really harm yourself from B1 since it has been around since the 50’s, Im going to take the safer than sorry approach
Actually, that is where you would be wrong. Please be very, very careful at taking a lot of vitamins or minerals as supplementation because taking large doses of these, can put other vitamins/minerals in our bodies out of balance… And more often than not cause more damage than good. Too much vitamin B can, and will worsen damage in the kidneys, and raise blood sugar levels. Lots of studies published in JAMA on this, and not some random organization. Here is just ONE example of many: http://phlauntdiabetesupdates.blogspot.com/2010/04/vitamin-d-supple…
Brunetta,
On the Benfotiamine I’m taking 250 mg twice a day(total 500 mg). On the R-ALA. I’m taking a product called Insulow. My daily dosage is 200 mg 3 times a day(total 600 mg). Insulow claims to increase insulin sensitivity also, although I havn’t noted any effect along those lines. As a type 1 I would take it slow to make sure it doesn’t have an effect on your insulin dosage.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the correct dosage on these supplements.
The only thing our endo will advise is Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin D supplementation and that we buy over the counter. Having read somewhere that Type 1s excrete nine times the amount of thiamine than non-Ds, I asked her for a recommendation for this B vitamin. Which she would not recommend and advised against it. I also saw an article in Science Daily where researchers are giving garlic oil (two types, not over the counter) to counteract cardiac myopathy (which, I was shocked to find they claim they see evidence of beginning deterioration in the muscles of the heart within five days of diagnosis!). So need to follow up and find out how to get this garlic oil supplement, and safe dosages. Thiamine, I would need a safe dosage for as well as possible increase in other B vitamins at the same time, as increase in one B vitamin only can cause problems. Any info on safe dosing of supplements would be well appreciated. As in, how much? And would you need to increase anything else that works in conjunction? Would an increase in this vitamin decrease absorption of any of the others? I think I would need a doctor or very experienced nutritionist in order to figure this out.
This is true however the B vitimans were given to patiens that already had kidney problems, and did not include benfotimainte, and only b6/12 and folic acid even though its fat-souable b1, its bioactived 5-20 times fold of regular thimane. The main reason they died quicker or had stroke/heart attack was due to the toxic build up of the vitimans in the kidneys and not being able to release the not used vitimans. I do agree that more often than not taking to much of a vitiman/supplment is a bad thing. I will be discussing the above at my endo coming up in the next few weeks.
I’m very cautious about mega doses. If a little is a good then a lot is better, doesn’t usually work unless someone has a deficiency that’s monitored. Our bodies aren’t always able to handle supplements in isolation. In food, nutrients are balanced.
There’s isn’t much info available on safe doses of supplements because, like everything else, it’s based on individual biochemisty, weight, age & nutritional need.
Sufficient magnesium is need with D3.
Doctors know very little about supplements or nutrition. Cod liver oil is not particularly good. Too high doses of Vit A can impede bone growth. Also, liver could contain high concentrations of toxins. If your niece’s doctor is concerned with her getting enough Omega 3 fats, there are better, safer choices than cod liver oil.
High doses of Vit B are not recommended for people with diabetes.
B6 over 200 mg raises BG & impairs nerve function (so does excess Vit C supplementation)
B3 (niacin) over 200 mg can raise BG
B1 over 200 mg can inactivate insulin (as I mentioned above, I don’t know if fat soluable benfotiaminie has the same effect as water solulable B1)
An aside, Vit C can give false low readings because it reacts with the chemical in test strips.
Can you post some articles on the B1 inactiving insulin? Assuming the two do act differently since fat soluable is bioaviable to your body then water. I have been on many forums people taking it for a few years without hearing those problems. I would also assume that on the human trials that just happened taking 600mg a day they would have caught those problems it was for 3 months
One place I read about B1 effects on insulin was from Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Dr. Bernstein also recommends keeping B vitamins in moderate doses. High doses of one require high doses of others to keep Vit Bs in balance. B3 & B6 (over 200 mg) raise blood glucose.
Cysteine used with B1 has been used in cases of hypoglycemia to inhibit insulin.
Agree that test subjects requiring more insulin would have been apparent.
That’s great! Your good control must help as well.
Curious. Based on what you said about your foot pain returning when you stopped Benfotiamine, it seems that Benfotiamine doesn’t heal neuropathy & just stops the pain. Not that stopping pain isn’t wonderful, but Benfotiamine must not be reversing it.
Perhaps the reason for the reduced pain is that it halts glycation. So the effect is more than pain killing. If you stop taking it the glycation returns and with it the pain
Yes and also from the recent human studies it blocks the AGE’s that occur when when we go over our 160 mark not only helping the nervers but kidneys/heart/blood vessels as well but this was at 1,000 mg a day.
There is only one study i have read about the 1,000mg a day - preventing the blocking of AGE’s in our blood vessles - this was a quick google search but I know I found the white paper study a few weeks ago, it actually might be in the reference section.
