Facts about B-1 deficiency and Diamond Pet Food recall

Diamond Pet Food says the recall relates to lack of thiamine (B-1) in some of their cat food products putting felines at risk. How should people keep up with their own B-1 level?

The Diamond cat food selections involved in the recall just announced include:

Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula dry cat food, Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula dry cat food, Premium Edge Kitten Formula dry cat food, Diamond Naturals Kitten Formula dry cat food and 4health All Life Stages Cat Formula dry cat food.

The company identified 25 states as having received distribution of the specific brands it tested that led to the conclusion there might be a low level of B-1 in the brands named.

Link to the official statement with all pertinent information, here.

In cats, lack of thiamine can result in less than normal functioning of the nervous system, and in extreme cases problems walking and even seizures.

In humans, lack of B-1 will also affect the nervous system, but also proper functioning of the gastrointestinal system, brain, heart and muscles. That according to the Mayo Clinic.

Thiamine helps in producing the energy one gets from consumption of carbs which is critical for a human brain's sustenance and the body's muscle composition..

Typical side effects of a B-1 deficiency in humans center on weakness and fatigue as well as nerve damage. People start losing the vitamin in their system within 14 days.

How does one replenish or keep B-1 levels in the normal range? Consumption of sufficient amounts of the following foods:

Beef
Pork
Brewer's yeast
Legumes (beans, lentils)
Milk
Nuts
Oranges
Wheat and whole-grain cereals, and yeast.
Foods fortified with Thiamine.

This is when eating modified food products might be a good thing. The list also ncludes white rice and white flour.

There is a specific connection between consuming too much alcohol and keeping the proper B-1 levels in your body.

The Boulder Medical Center in Boulder, Colorado warns that, "The B-complex vitamins are especially vulnerable and destroyed by alcohol. These vitamins are essential to mental and emotional well being."

The Center notes that anxiety and depression can result from B-1 deficiency and, "...neurological and cardiac disorders among alcoholics."

Sources MayoClinic.com, BoulderMedicalCenter.com, Diamondpetfood.com Image: Wikimedia Commons

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