Dr. Weeks’ Comment: What is the number one complaint medical doctors hear in America? Answer: “I’m tired.” Fatigue is a #1 complaint.
(See below: “I cannot, I cannot.” )
The B vitamins can help most people since most people are overfed but malnourished from a junk food diet and low in vitamin B1.
As co-factors, the family of B vitamins fuel much of our biochemistry. They enhance energy production, the generation and preservation of nerves as well as the enhancement of hormonal and neurotransmitter function.
Today, I will share the importance of the B vitamins to help you generate energy. In particular, I will feature one special form of fat-soluble thiamine (vitamin B1) called Lipothiamine.
Here is a brief summary of the benefits of the B vitamins:
Vit B1 – Thiamine: Essential for allowing energy production via the TCA cycle and also via pentose phosphate pathway.
Vit B2 – Riboflavin: Essential for energy production via the electron transport chain (ETC) in our mitochondria and activation of Vitamin B6 and folate to help with glutathione function.
Vit B3 – Niacin or Niacinamide: again, energy enhancement via hydrogen shuttle in glycolysis, TCA, ETC. Also helps in building fatty acids and cholesterol and for antioxidant defense.
Vit B5- Pantothenic acid: helps with weight loss by enhancing fat burning while generating energy via the TCA cycle and also generates cholesterol and steroid hormones, acetylcholine, and heme to optimize cellular function.
Vit B6- Pyridoxine: Essential for brain function via neurotransmitter synthesis: GABA, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, histamine
Vit B7 – Biotin: helpful for healthy haor nails and skin, enhances nourishment via gluconeogenesis to enhance brain function;
Vit B9- Folate: Protects the heart and vascular system by remethylating the toxic homocysteine to the beneficial methionine and helps repair DNA.
Vit B12 – Cobalamin: Also protects the heart and vascular system by remethylating the toxic homocysteine to the beneficial methionine and generates energy while enhancing genetic repair via DNA synthesis by releasing folate from the “methyl-folate trap”.
THIAMINE DEFICIENCY
BeriBeri is a disease from vitamin B1 deficiency. It is called “the great mimicker” because, when you shut off energy production, all biochemical functions suffer. The name ‘Beriberi” comes from Sinhalese, roughly “I cannot, I cannot,” describing the extreme weakness. Tissues that burn a lot of energy are hit hardest, especially the nerves and the heart, because thiamine is essential for turning glucose into energy. Beriberi was common around the world among sailors who ate polished rice (white rice, not brown rich). In the 1890s, a Dutch physician named Christiaan Eijkman discovered that polished rice caued the disease. (He later won a Nobel Prize for this discovery. Since thiamine was the first B vitamin identified, his work opened up the field of B vitamins.
Neurological and autonomic symptoms of low Thiamine.
Causes of low Thiamine
- High sugar diet
- High carbohydrate intake
- White rice
- Alcohol
- High polyphenols (coffee)
- Sulfites
- Raw fish
- Hypochlorhydria and poor GI absorption
- Drugs like Metformin and loop diuretics like Lasix
- Magnesium deficiency
Symptoms of low Thiamine
– tender calf
– Fatigue
– mitochondria failure 5 enzymes
– insulin resistance
– ankle edema
– peripheral neuropathy
– GERD
– POTS
– sleep apnea
– Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
– lactic acidosis (restless leg)
– estrogen dominance (b1 helps clear)
– low b1 leads to low insulin production
Foods high in B1
-Liver (only eat it if it is organic)
– Baker’s Yeast
– pork
– eggs
– fish
– sunflower seeds
– squash
– asparagus
– seafood
WATER or FAT SOLUBLE
Now the B vitamin family are water soluble, so they are used and excreted via the kidneys. You can take fat soluble form of some B vitamins, which can be very effective es in the case of Vitamin B1 – lipothiamine. This will allow transport into the brain across the blood brain barrier.
PARKINSON’S DISEASE
TTFD (Thiamine Tetrahydrofurfuryl Disulfide) is a potent thiamine (Vitamin B1) derivative explored for Parkinson’s disease due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and increase dopamine activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. While animal studies and anecdotal reports suggest it may enhance locomotor activity and energy, its use is controversial and requires careful dose titration to avoid negative effects.
Key considerations for TTFD in Parkinson’s include:
- Efficacy and Mechanism: TTFD has been shown to induce voluntary locomotor activity via D1-receptor-mediated dopaminergic activity, potentially offering benefits for physical fitness and wakefulness.
- Dosage Sensitivity: The therapeutic window is narrow; some users find success with low doses (e.g., 17.5–50 mg/day), while others require higher amounts (200–500 mg/day). Overdosing can lead to symptom worsening, anxiety, or restlessness.
- Side Effects and Risks: Common adverse reactions include high blood pressure, dry mouth, sleep disturbances, and mood fluctuations. TTFD metabolism requires adequate methylation, so users often need to supplement with methyl donors (B vitamins, folate) and magnesium.
- Comparison to Other Forms: Unlike standard Thiamine HCL or Benfotiamine, TTFD does not rely on cellular transporters to enter the brain, making it more potent but also more likely to cause toxicity if doses are not carefully managed. Many practitioners and patient communities recommend sticking to Thiamine HCL or sublingual B1 due to TTFD’s lack of long-term safety data in humans.
ENERGY and STAMINA
Nutrients. 2018 Jun 29;10(7):851. doi: 10.3390/nu10070851
The Effects of Thiamine Tetrahydrofurfuryl Disulfide on Physiological Adaption and Exercise Performance Improvement
PMCID: PMC6073388 PMID: 29966293
Abstract
Thiamine, named as vitamin B1, is an important cofactor for the critical enzymes regarding to glucose metabolism, like transketolase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. The thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide (TTFD) is a derivative of thiamine with higher bioavailability and solubility than thiamine and has been widely applied to health maintenance and disease therapy. Higher physical activities are associated with higher thiamine supplements for efficient energy metabolism. Furthermore, the effective dose of TTFD, beneficial to exercise physiological adaption and performance, still be further validated and the safety evaluation were also an important issue to be considered for potential application. ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) strain mice were allocated as 0, 50, 100, and 500 mg/kg dose groups and administrated by oral gavage consecutively for 6 weeks. Physical activities including grip strength and aerobic endurance were measured. Various fatigue-associated biochemical variables such as lactate, glucose, blood urine nitrogen (BUN) or creatine kinase (CK), were also assessed. The levels of liver and muscle glycogen were measured as an indicator of energy storage at the end of the experiment. Toxicity assessments for long-term supplementation were also further evaluated for safety consideration. TTFD supplementation significantly increased the endurance and grip strength and demonstrated beneficial effects on lactate production and clearance rate after an acute exercise challenge. The TTFD supplementation significantly mitigated the BUN and CK indexes after extended exercise and elevated the glycogen content in the liver and muscle tissues. According to body composition, biochemical and histopathological data, daily administration of TTFD for over 6 weeks (subacute toxicity) also demonstrated reasonable safety results for long-term and adequate supplementation. The toxicity of TTFD were also considered as safety for long-term supplementation with indicated doses. Furthermore, the TTDF could be applied to not only the health promotion but also improvement of exercise physiological adaption and the TTFD could be further considered as potential ergogenic aids combined with different nutrient strategy.
Conclusions
Thiamine is widely acceptable as a pharmaceutical supplement to maintain the physiological function with an RDA dose. In the current study, we proposed that the higher thiamine derivative, TTFD, could significantly improve physical activities and physiological adaption with evidence-based safety validation. For practical application, we recommend that athletes should consume a daily intake of 40 mg/kg TTFD (equivalently converted from mouse 500 mg/kg dose based on body surface area between mice and humans by formula from the US Food and Drug Administration [36]) to improve energy regulation for higher performance in a combined nutritional strategy, including carbohydrate loading for efficient energy demand during extended exercise.
ON REDDIT: TTFD for SIBO, Gastroparesis, Brain Fog, Fatigue, and cold body
I am on 1100mg combined TTFD, Benfo and HCL. My first time raising to this was difficult and I titrated back down to almost nothing. This took months. Then I started slowly titrating back up and this round I am tolerating mega dosing beautifully, on my way to 1600mg total. I have eradicated SIBO (I also needed a course of antimicrobials), confident by new vagal motility will prevent its return. My parasympathetic system is immaculate now. I sleep deep and am almost stress proof, grounded like a mountain. Don’t be afraid to go VERY slow. A single HCL for a week, then a second HCL, then on week 3 add a single TTFD or Benfo. Stay there for weeks if you need to reground. Cofactors I take: potassium, magnesium, lipo glutathione, high B5 B complex, alpha GPC. This has changed my life, but took a lot of persistence and creativity.
CONSTIPATION
Lipothiamine – TTFD (thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) with alpha-lipoic acid, is linked to the relief of constipation by addressing underlying thiamine deficiency, which impairs gastrointestinal motility.
- Mechanism: Thiamine is essential for acetylcholine synthesis; deficiency reduces vagal tone and digestive enzyme secretion, leading to slowed gut movement and conditions like SIBO or IBS-C.
- Clinical Evidence: Repletion with thiamine derivatives like TTFD has been reported to alleviate severe constipation and gastroparesis within days to weeks by restoring normal motility.
- Genetic Factors: Recent large-scale studies identify genes like SLC35F3 and XPR1, which regulate thiamine metabolism, as key determinants of stool frequency, suggesting that personalized thiamine supplementation may benefit those with specific genetic variants affecting gut health.
LEARN MORE HERE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjVXFqiPDwE
And HERE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN5WpR-2-fI&list=PLB204FA2Ec9PJDrzKRUmuPei13NLIOMv_
THE OTHER FAT-SOLUBLE FORM of THIAMINE
Benfotamine is fat-soluble Vit B1 which is 25x more bioavailable than the commonly used Vit B1 hcl. It is helpful for diabetic neuropathy and helps reduce age spots (advanced glycation end factors- AGEs)
Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83sOzga-i0I