Dr. Liu Jia-Yia highlights an often overlooked but crucial nutrient for maintaining brain health: thiamine, or vitamin B1. Although not often discussed, thiamine is essential for proper brain function, and deficiency can contribute to serious cognitive problems, including dementia.
Thiamine deficiency: a silent but serious risk
Even with advances in modern medicine, dementia rates are increasing in some parts of the world, such as the United States. In contrast, places like Singapore have seen a decline. One key difference? Thiamine consumption.
Thiamine plays an important role in converting carbohydrates and fats into useful energy, especially for the brain.
The United States is solving this problem by fortifying foods like bread and breakfast cereal with this vitamin.
But this may not be enough, especially since today’s food processing and cooking techniques often eliminate thiamine from our meals.
Why Common Foods Can Deplete Thiamine
Although white rice is a staple food for millions of people, it is actually a refined food, with much of its natural thiamine removed during processing. Unlike brown rice, it lacks the nutritious outer layer.
In the past, societies that relied heavily on white rice without additional supplements led to widespread thiamine deficiency, leading to mental decline and poor decision-making.
Even when rice is rinsed (a common method of reducing arsenic), it can still lose the small amount of thiamine left behind. Cooking and discarding the cooking water has a similar effect.
Habits that quietly lower thiamine levels
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