14 DAY TRIAL // The latest research from the University of Bristol, concluded that a dietary supplement of the synthetic derivative of vitamin B1, could help prevent heart disease in people suffering from diabetes.
Since vitamin B1 can help the body get rid of its toxins, it can also protect the cells of the heart from being damaged.
A previous research at the University of Warwick, funded by Diabetes UK, proved that people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have nearly 75% lower vitamin B1 levels than people without the disease.
The cause of this phenomenon is believed to be the rate at which the vitamin is cleared from the body, and not the patients' diet.
Also, some small scale clinical trials of Type 2 diabetes patients have identified a connection between taking vitamin B1 supplements and a decrease in the signs of kidney disease.
In this latest study, also supported by Diabetes UK, a team of researchers at the University of Bristol gave a synthetic derivative of vitamin B1 – benfotiamine, to diabetic and non-diabetic mice.
The results of the experiment showed that when treating mice with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes with benfotiamine from the early stages of the illness, the progression of heart failure is delayed.
The researchers also concluded that the vitamin B1 derivative improved survival rates and healing, after heart attacks in mice with Type 1 diabetes, and even in mice without the disease.
There is a lot of vitamin B1 in foods like Marmite, yeast and quorn, but the researchers are not sure yet that diet changing alone is enough to provide sufficient vitamin B1, to obtain the same effects as with supplements in mice.
Professor Paolo Madeddu from the University of Bristol and leader of this research explained that “supplementation with benfotiamine from early stages of diabetes improved the survival and healing of the hearts of diabetic mice that have had heart attacks, and helped prevent cardiovascular disease in mice with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
“We conclude that benfotiamine could be a novel treatment for people with diabetes, and the next step in this research will be testing whether similar effects are seen in humans.”
Dr Victoria King, Head of Research at Diabetes UK added that “Diabetes UK is pleased to have supported this research and is encouraged by these promising results which now need to be tested and confirmed in human trials.
“We would like to note that it’s still too early to draw any firm conclusions about the role of vitamin B1 in the prevention of complications and we would not advise that people look to vitamin supplements to reduce their risk of cardiovascular complications at this stage.
“Taking your prescribed medication, eating a healthy balanced diet and taking regular physical activity are key to good diabetes management and therefore reducing your risk of diabetes associated complications.”
Diabetes is a difficult disease to bear, and it usually makes the heart more vulnerable to stress, by delivering less nutrients and oxygen to it and to other organs as well.
High levels of glucose entering cardiovascular cells can do a lot of heart damage, because they can form toxins that speed up their aging process.
As much as 50% of diabetic people die from heart disease, making it the leading cause of death in this category, and unless new treatments are developed, researchers warn that the ever-rising rate of the illness (1 in 20 people in the UK) will trigger a huge wave of heart failures.
This latest research was published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology.