Vitamins (cont.)

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is most commonly known as thiamin. It is involved in numerous body functions, including metabolism of carbohydrates, assisting with muscle functioning, producing hydrochloric acid, and assisting with nervous system functioning. A deficiency can cause weakness, fatigue, nerve damage, and psychosis. When the deficiency becomes severe, it causes a disease known as beriberi. There are many foods that provide thiamin so it's easy to get enough from your diet. Some of these foods are beans, pork, fortified cereal, and enriched rice.

The following is the RDA for thiamin:

Age	Males	Females	Pregnancy	Lactation
1-3 years	0.5 mg	0.5 mg
4-8 years	0.6 mg	0.6 mg
9-13 years	0.9 mg	0.9 mg
14-18 years	1.2 mg	1.0 mg
19+ years	1.2 mg	1.1 mg
All ages			1.4 mg	1.4 mg

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 is most commonly known as riboflavin. It is needed for converting food to energy, to work as an antioxidant by scavenging damaging free radicals, and to convert vitamin B6 and folate into active forms. Most people meet their needs with a balanced diet. Good sources of riboflavin are milk, spinach, fortified cereal, eggs, and green vegetables. You can be deficient in riboflavin when you don't consume enough riboflavin, but other things that can cause a deficiency are malabsorption syndromes, chronic diarrhea, long-term use of barbiturates, peritoneal dialysis, and alcoholism. The symptoms of a riboflavin deficiency are fatigue, skin irritations, cracks and sores around the corner of the mouth, and sensitivity to light.

The following is the RDA for riboflavin:

Age	Males	Females	Pregnancy	Lactation
1-3 years	0.5 mg	0.5 mg	N/A	N/A
4-8 years	0.6 mg	0.6 mg	N/A	N/A
9-13 years	0.9 mg	0.9 mg	N/A	N/A
14-18 years	1.3 mg	1.0 mg	1.4 mg	1.6 mg
19 + years	1.3 mg	1.1 mg	1.4 mg	1.6 mg