The B-vitamins in human urine

Abstract

Vits. B1 and B2 were estimated in human urine collected under controlled conditions by feeding the conc. urine to rats deprived of vit. B1 or B3, the former by the power of the urines to cure neuritis, the latter by their power to promote growth. The method for vit. B1 consisted in finding the proportion of a no. of rats that was cured by single doses of the test material. Vit. B1 was not found in the urine of control subjects on hospital diet. The addition of 720 I.U. of vit. B1 daily was followed by the daily excretion of 167-333 I. U., the remainder presumably having been retained. Vit. B2 was present in small quantities in the urine of control subjects; feeding additional vit. B2 increased the amt. excreted with some retention. In one case of "alcoholic" polyneuritis, the initial excretion of vits. B1 and B2 was comparable with that of the controls, as were the retentions when additional B-vitamins were fed.