THE BENEFITS OF THIAMINE (BE FOTIAMINE) USE IN DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

Overweight, insulin resistance (IR), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share the oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can contribute to the development and progression of diabetic complications; therefore the antioxidant treatment can be an effective strategy in preventing diabetic complications.

Thiamine deficiency is more and more considered to be one of the risk factors for developing DM, both in patients with type 1 and type 2 DM. At the same time, even a modest thiamine deficiency is involved in the apparition and progression of irreversible chronic complications of DM. High thiamine (benfothiamine) doses can prevent or delay the apparition of both DM and its chronic micro- and macrovascular complications. Benfotiamine prevents retinopathy, nephropathy and experimental diabetic neuropathy, being implicated mainly in reducing oxidative stress. Clinical trials on diabetic patients are necessary to test the potential of these vitamins in preventing and/or treating diabetic vascular complications.