Other Names:
B Vitamin Deficiency

Symptoms:
In children: mental confusion, muscle wasting, impaired growth, convulsions, nausea, vomiting, stomach and intestinal problems, diarrhea, and constipation.

In adults: weight loss, diarrhea, edema, fatigue.

Cause:
Beriberi is a nutritional disease, caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), but also all the other B complex vitamins, as well.

Beriberi is not common in the West. In the East, where many subsist primarily on polished (hulled) rice, it is endemic. The rice bran contains the vitamins, and the polished kernel only contains starch and protein.

In America, beriberi occurs as a result of alcoholism, hypothyroidism, pregnancy, infections, or stress.

Treatment:
• Eat brown rice, raw fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains.

• Take vitamin/mineral supplements.

• Do not drink liquids with your meals, for this washes away water-soluble vitamins.