Thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, is essential for energy metabolism and normal cardiac function. Severe thiamin deficiency causes beriberi, a condition that can include enlargement of the heart and heart failure among its clinical features.
Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2006; Volume 47, Pages 354–361) examined the prevalence of thiamin deficiency in patients with congestive heart failure. The study evaluated 100 patients with heart failure and found that 33% were thiamin deficient.
By comparison, only 12% of 50 control subjects without congestive heart failure were found to be thiamin deficient. The prevalence of thiamin deficiency was therefore substantially higher in patients with heart failure than in those without the condition.
Diuretics, which are commonly prescribed to patients with heart failure, deplete thiamin.
