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Article: NUTRITION
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- September 28, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Q: I am a widow in my late seventies, and according to my doctor
am in good health. I take care to eat well-balanced meals even
though my appetite is often poor. The other day I was in the
health-food store and the clerk suggested that thiamine supplements
might improve my appetite. What do you advise?
A: Appetite loss is in fact an early symptom of thiamine
deficiency, and when supplements are given to an individual who is
thiamine-deficient, appetite returns. But in the absence of a
deficiency, thiamine supplements are not the answer to a lagging
appetite.
It is true that thiamine, essential for the metabolism of
carbohydrate, is a water-soluble vitamin the body does not store to
any ...