UO Research Shows Vitamin B1 Supplements Prevent Childhood Beriberi and Boost Development

University of Oregon Psychology Professors Dare Baldwin and Jeffery Measelle are part of a long-term project to study how thiamine (vitamin B1) supplementation and fortification can reduce beriberi in children. Beriberi is a disease caused by a deficiency in vitamin B1 (thiamine). The disease has a heightened incidence in places where people primarily eat nutrient poor foods such as white rice as a primary food staple.  Lack of thiamine is known to cause developmental delays in cognitive, motor, and language development across the first years for children. Measelle, Baldwin, and their team have found that adding Thiamine to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers can reduce the likelihood of nutritional stunting and beriberi disease in babies – which has positive, long lasting neurocognitive developmental and community outcomes.