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OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT OF THIAMINE STATUS BY BIOCHEMICAL ASSAY IN ADULT AUSTRALIANS
Author(s) -
Wood Beverley,
Penington D. G.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1974.tb47658.x
Subject(s) - thiamine , thiamine pyrophosphate , population , beriberi , incidence (geometry) , medicine , transketolase , vitamin , physiology , disease , thiamine deficiency , biology , endocrinology , environmental health , biochemistry , enzyme , cofactor , physics , optics
The thiamine status of two groups of the adult Australian population has been studied by both the erythrocyte transketolase assay and estimation of urinary thiamine levels. A mean thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) effect of 9×6% (SD = 7×2) was found in 40 hospital staff members, and is considered to represent the normal value for the TPP effect under Australian conditions. Eighty‐four city blood transfusion donors had a significantly higher mean TPP effect of 15×0% (SD = 10×0), and 19% had values considered consistent with deficiency. This biochemical evidence suggests that a substantial segment of the Australian population has tissues which are considerably less than saturated with thiamine. Comparisons with overseas data and between the two groups studied here suggest that this may indicate a relatively widespread incidence of less than optimal nutrition with respect to thiamine, even though this is not, presumably, causing overt physical disease. It is proposed that the case for thiamine supplementation of processed foods in Australia should be reappraised, or alternatively, that foods rich in thiamine should be emphasized in community nutrition education programmes.