What Causes Beriberi?
Beriberi is caused by a deficiency of thiamine. This vitamin is synthesised by a variety of plants and microorganisms but not normally by animals. Small amounts may be synthesised by microorganisms in the gut. About 5mg of thiamine a day can be absorbed by the gut. About 25 – 30mg is stored in the body. Large amounts are present in skeletal muscles (about one half of body stores), heart, liver, kidneys and brain. The recommended daily allowance of thiamine in men is between 1.2 – 1.5mg and in women between 1 – 1.1mg. Thiamine is widely present in foods and is only absent from fats, cassava and refined sugar. The outer layers of cereal grains are particularly rich in thiamine, so machine milled rice is a poor source of the vitamin.
