Thiamine Metabolism of Women on Controlled Diets II. Daily Blood Thiamine Values

Abstract

Eight women served as subjects in studies designed to follow the daily fluctuations of thiamine in whole blood when the thiamine intake was controlled at 500 and 300 µg of thiamine per 1,000 Cal. for periods of two weeks or more. The diet was constant within each study, the only variable being the level of thiamine from one period to the other. With an intake of about 500 µg of thiamine per 1,000 Cal. the average fasting blood thiamine ranged from 3.3 to 5.4 µg per 100 ml of whole blood or 7.0 to 11.2 µg per 100 ml of packed cells. When the thiamine intake was lowered to 300 µg of thiamine per 1,000 Cal. the average fasting blood thiamine ranged from 2.8 to 4.6 µg per 100 ml of whole blood or 6.3 to 10.0 µg per 100 ml of packed cells. The effect of a 5-mg oral test dose of thiamine hydrochloride on the level of thiamine in the blood is presented. A few values for blood thiamine obtained for people other than experimental subjects are included.