Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1, also called thiamine, in tablets, capsules, liquid drops and as benfotiamine. We explain how these forms differ, which dosage makes sense next to a B complex, and how to take thiamine day to day.Read more →
Filters
Availability
Brand
Form
Diet
Goal
Price
Thiamine supplements: forms, dosage and daily use
Vitamin B1 is better known as thiamine. It is water-soluble, so it dissolves in water and your body keeps only a small store. What you do not use leaves in your urine. A steady daily intake therefore matters more than one large dose. Thiamine contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal functioning of the nervous system, to normal psychological function and to the normal function of the heart. In the UK, thiamine is added to bread flour by law, and pork, wholegrains, pulses, nuts and seeds add more. If you would rather cover several nutrients at once, start with the wider B vitamin group.
The form on the label changes what you are buying
Most tablets in this collection use thiamine hydrochloride or thiamine mononitrate. Both give you plain thiamine. Mononitrate is the more stable form in tablets and fortified foods, while hydrochloride dissolves faster. At the strengths sold here, usually 50 mg to 100 mg, the practical difference is small. Benfotiamine works differently: it is a fat-soluble derivative of thiamine, taken up by a different route, and it raises blood thiamine higher than the same amount of plain thiamine. That makes it a specific choice, not a general upgrade. Your body also needs Magnesium to switch thiamine into its active form, so B1 always works inside your whole intake.
- Thiamine mononitrate: stable, the standard in tablets
- Thiamine hydrochloride: dissolves quickly, common in capsules
- Benfotiamine: fat-soluble derivative, higher blood levels
- Liquid thiamine: small doses, easy to adjust
The percentages on B1 labels confuse many buyers. A 100 mg tablet shows roughly 9,000% of the Nutrient Reference Value, simply because that reference sits around 1 mg. The figure says nothing about how good the product is. Read the milligrams and the form, then compare the cost per day.
How we choose the vitamin B1 we stock
We keep this collection deliberately small. Three things decide what goes in: the form, the amount per tablet or capsule, and whether the combination makes sense. We carry plain thiamine around 100 mg, the level the NHS names as unlikely to cause harm from supplements, and benfotiamine for people who specifically want that form. We leave out products that bury a token amount of B1 in a long list of extras, because you cannot tell what you are taking. We buy directly from the brands, our compliance team checks every label, and we test batches ourselves alongside independent labs. Read how we select our brands.
Who a single B1 supplement suits
Most people in the UK get enough thiamine from food, so this is a targeted product rather than a daily default. It makes sense if your diet is low in wholegrains and pulses, if you eat little variety, or if a doctor or dietitian has told you your level is low. If you feel tired without knowing why, a B complex or a daily multivitamin is usually the more logical start, since a shortfall in one single B vitamin is uncommon. Take thiamine in the morning, with or without food. Any change you notice is gradual, so judge after two to three weeks of consistent use.
Frequently asked questions
Vitamin B1 is the vitamin thiamine, sometimes written thiamin. It was the first B vitamin discovered, hence the number. It is water-soluble, which means it dissolves in water and your body stores very little of it, so you need it regularly from food or a supplement.
Approved statements are limited and specific: thiamine contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal functioning of the nervous system, to normal psychological function and to the normal function of the heart.
