Pakistan: Researchers in a recent study published in Cureus recommend routine monitoring of serum thiamine levels in diabetic patients and suggest considering thiamine supplementation to avoid complications, especially vascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM).
The study revealed that patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes had significantly higher levels of fasting blood sugar (FBS), random blood sugar (RBS), triglycerides, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and total cholesterol than control. Furthermore, serum thiamine and HDL levels were observed to be considerably lower in both type 1 and type 2 DM patients than those of controls. Also, there was a strong correlation between FBS and HbA1c among both types of diabetes mellitus and controls.

Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a critical role in the metabolism of both vital amino acids and carbohydrates. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics that affect endothelial function.
Previous studies have shown that low levels of thiamine reserves in the body are related to diabetes because thiamine directly impacts carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, Atif A. Hashmi, Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College, Karachi, PAK, and colleagues aimed to assess several metabolic variables and blood thiamine levels in patients with type 1 and type 2 DM and compare them with those in a control group of healthy individuals in a case-control study conducted at multiple diabetic outpatient centres in Karachi.
The study included 90 participants; they were divided into three groups, each comprising 30 individuals. Group A served as the control group and comprised of healthy, non-diabetic individuals. Groups B and C contained subjects with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, respectively.
Descriptive analysis was reported as the mean standard deviation, comorbidities and gender were expressed as percentages and frequencies. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and chi-square test were used to determine the associations of the variables with type 1 DM, type 2 DM, and controls.
The study revealed the following findings:
· There were statistically significant differences between controls, type 1 and type 2 DM, in the means of blood glucose levels and all lipid profiles, such as glycated haemoglobin, random blood sugar, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, serum thiamine, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and total cholesterol.
· Among the control group, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, HbA1c, and FBS were insignificantly correlated with thiamine levels, whereas the HbA1c and FBS of the combined diabetic groups were significantly correlated with the thiamine level (r = 0.465) and (r = 0.360), respectively, where 'r' is the Pearson correlation coefficient.
· HbA1c and FBS in the combined three groups were significantly correlated with the thiamine level (r = −0.626) and (r = −0.561), respectively.
"Based on the findings, we recommend routine monitoring of thiamine levels in diabetic patients, and early thiamine supplementation should be considered, particularly if there are signs of vascular complications on clinical examination," the researchers concluded.
Reference:
Khan M, Mubeen M, Chohan H, et al. (September 29, 2023) Correlation of Fasting Blood Sugar and Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) With Thiamine Levels in Diabetic Patients. Cureus 15(9): e46178. doi:10.7759/cureus.46178