I’ve been checking thiamine levels in patients for more than three decades, and I can tell you that levels have been falling. It’s well-known that thiamine deficiency can lead to cardiovascular disease, and increases the risk for heart attacks.

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is an essential substance that cannot be manufactured in the body; therefore, we need to get adequate thiamine from our food supply. Thiamine is needed in tissues with high metabolic rates such as the heart, brain, muscle, and nerves. It is important to maintain optimal thiamine intake before a serious illness takes hold.

An article in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition reported on the effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) supplementation on survival after a heart attack. For this study, Chinese physicians randomized critically ill heart attack patients in the ICU to either receive or not receive thiamine supplementation. Of the 1,782 total patients, 170 received thiamine and 1,612 did not.

The authors reported that 30-day and 90- day mortality were significantly lower in the thiamine group versus the non-thiamine group. The thiamine recipients were also found to have an overall 40 percent decline in mortality compared to the non-supplemented group.

As noted, thiamine levels have been falling over the last few decades. According to this study, supplementing with thiamine may lower the risk for mortality after a heart attack.

Simple things such as maintaining optimal nutrient levels (thiamine, magnesium, niacin, iodine, vitamin C) can aid anyone suffering a critical illness such as a heart attack. If you ever suffer a heart attack, ask the physician to check your micronutrient levels.

Appropriate supplementation with micronutrients can mean the difference between life and death.