The research was carried out in Pakistan by a team from the University of Warwick in the UK. They tested the effect of vitamin B1, thiamine, on early renal disease in type 2 diabetics.
The study builds on earlier work that shows that many diabetics are deficient in thiamine. Thiamine is found in meat, yeast and grain. Supplementation with thiamine prevented the loss of albumin through the urine - a key sign of renal disease.
A third of the 40 patients in the study saw a return to normal urinary albumin excretion after being treated with high dose (300mg) thiamine taken orally each day for three months.
The experts say thiamine works by helping protect cells against the harmful effects of the high blood sugar levels found in diabetes. However, they stress that it is too early to recommend thiamine supplementation to every diabetic and that further research needs to be done.
