Tag: vitamin deficiency

DIY Biotin Deficiency- Book Excerpt of the Week

DIY Biotin Deficiency- Book Excerpt of the Week

greeneyedguide

Lights, camera, ACTON: We find our sports hero adding multiple egg whites to a blender. The egg whites are raw like his brute masculinity. He chugs this concoction and prepares for the game. As he walks onto the field, we zoom in to see the ferocity in his eyes and, eew! They’re all red and inflamed and leaking fluid.

Our hero, in his fervor to seize the Eye of the Tiger, now has symptoms of BIOTIN DEFICIENCY because a protein a protein in raw egg whites grabs onto Biotin and doesn’t let go. Look up the definition for “avid”, that’s where Avidin gets its name. The Avidin-Biotin bond is the strongest bond of its kind in nature!

So how many egg whites does it take? Does this “DIY Biotin Deficiency” happen with cooked egg whites? What else happens when Avidin grabs Biotin? For those answers, my friends, you’re going to want to get a copy of my book – “Are You a Monster or a Rock Star: A Guide to Energy Drinks- How They Work, Why They Work, How to Use Them Safely” available as e-book, paperback, and hardcover from Amazon and wherever books are sold.

STAY TUNED every Monday (and sometimes Tuesday) for more book excerpts and the science behind energy drink ingredients as we continue our page-by-page exploration through the Energy Drink Guide.

Let’s connect!

Thiamin, Anorexics, Athletes, and Alcoholics – Book Excerpt of the Week

Thiamin, Anorexics, Athletes, and Alcoholics – Book Excerpt of the Week

greeneyedguide

Thiamin (Vitamin B1) is a popular ingredient in energy drinks, sports supplements, and other “functional” beverages. In last week’s book excerpt, we talked about how thiamin would be a leader if the B-vitamins were all Marvel Avengers, and how thiamin’s role in carbohydrate metabolism makes it an important facilitator in energy production. Thiamin is readily absorbed, readily depleted, and easily excreted, so you can never have too much. But what happens when you don’t get enough? There are different names for thiamin deficiency, depending on how it manifests.

IMG_20170529_150403_495

Anorexics, athletes, and alcoholics may all experience thiamin deficiency, for different reasons. Starvation leads to dry Beriberi. The combination of high carbohydrate intakes and heavy exercise can lead to wet Beriberi. Heavy alcohol use can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Alcohol diminishes thiamin absorption and increases its excretion. Since thiamin is not readily stored, a poor quality diet with heavy alcohol consumption can lead to rapid thiamin depletion and deficiency.

Stay tuned as we look at other B-vitamins in our page-by-page tour through my book on the science of energy drinks and their ingredients.

Let’s connect!