SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE

BenfoPure® (Benfotiamine, S-benzoylthiamine-O-monophosphate) is an analogue of Vitamin B1, also known as Thiamine. BenfoPure® is a lipid-soluble compound that is more readily available for nutritional use and is significantly more active than traditional forms of Thiamine.

BenfoPure® “Mode-of-Action”

  • Assists the body in responding to the toxic breakdown compounds of excess sugar
  • Reduces elevated levels of intracellular glucose and the potential for AGE (Advanced Glycation Endproducts) formation
  • Stimulates transketolase, an enzyme that helps convert the toxic compounds to harmless ones

BenfoPure® is a novel, lipid-soluble analogue of Thiamine, unique in its enhanced availability for the body compared to traditional water-soluble forms of Thiamine.

Thiamine, is a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex, and is an essential nutrient for most organisms. It is a required cofactor for the body’s production of several critical enzymes, including those in pathways involved in intracellular glucose metabolism.

BenfoPure® Increases Thiamine Concentration in the Body

In a human study, the use of Benfotiamine increased thiamine diphosphate (TDP, the biologically active form of Thiamine) levels by 77% in the supplemented group versus the control group taking traditional water-soluble Thiamine. This study indicates Benfotiamine has higher bioavailability than Thiamine and is readily converted to Thiamine in the body.

Bioavailability of BenfoPure® Compared to Thiamine

The total amount of Thiamine in the body is roughly 30 mg. After oral ingestion, Benfotiamine is digested in the gastrointestinal tract to a form which is more lipid-soluble than thiamine which permits this Benfotiamine-form to readily cross cell membranes in the intestines and enter the blood stream. A significant percentage of this lipid-soluble form is captured within red blood cells, where it is converted to free Thiamine as needed by the body.

The bioavailability of Thiamine in blood plasma is reported to be approximately 3.6 times greater after a dose of Benfotiamine than after a dose of Thiamine.

In 1991, Bitsch and colleagues evaluated the bioavailability of Benfotiamine in comparison to thiamine mononitrate (a common form of Thiamine). The Thiamine blood plasma concentration after Benfotiamine ingestion exceeded that of thiamine mononitrate by 55% and in hemolysate by 99%. This indicates that Benfotiamine provides more Thiamine to the blood than the more commonly used forms of Thiamine such as is found in multi-vitamins and B-complex supplements.

Another study in 1996 reported the mean blood plasma concentration of Thiamine after Benfotiamine consumption was 5 times higher  than after Thiamine consumption. In red blood cells, Thiamine concentration ranged from 3.5 to 14.8 times higher after Benfotiamine ingestion.

After a single oral ingestion in mice with radiolabeled Benfotiamine or Thiamine hydrochloride (a commonly used form of Thiamine equivalent to 105 mg Thiamine/kg), the compounds appeared to be incorporated into all organs in a comparable way. However, Benfotiamine was incorporated at a higher amount than Thiamine hydrochloride.

Reference Literature

  • Beltramo E, Berrone E, et al. Effects of thiamine and benfotiamine on intracellular glucose metabolism and relevance in the prevention of diabetic complications. Acta Diabetol. 2008; 45: 131-41.
  • Volvert ML, Seyen S, et al. Benfotiamine, a synthetic S-acyl thiamine derivative, has different mechanisms of action and a different pharmacological profile than lipid-soluble thiamine disulfide derivatives. BMC Pharmacol. 2008; 8: 10.
  • Balakumar P, Rohilla A, et al. The multifaceted therapeutic potential of benfotiamine. Pharmacol Res. 2010; 61: 482-8.
  • Frank T, Bitsch R, et al. High thiamine diphosphate concentrations in erythrocytes can be achieved in dialysis patients by oral administration of benfontiamine. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2000; 56: 251-7.
  • Loew D. Pharmacokinetics of thiamine derivatives especially of benfotiamine. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1996; 34: 47-50.
  • Schreeb KH, Freudenthaler S, et al. Comparative bioavailability of two vitamin B1 preparations: benfotiamine and thiamine mononitrate. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1997; 52: 319-20.
  • Hilbig R and Rahmann H. Comparative autoradiographic investigations on the tissue distribution of benfotiamine versus thiamine in mice. Arzneimittelforschung. 1998; 48: 461-8.