[Thiamine status of university teacher families in Changsha]

To evaluate the thiamine status of the population consuming the refined cereals and its products, we studied thiamine concentration in 23 food samples and human urine, and three-day dietary survey was conducted. The results showed that the thiamine content in the staple food was much lower than that in the raw material. The thiamine intake from diet was below to 80% RDA in 42.8% investigated families and the thiamine energy ratio was lower than 0.5 mg/4186.8 kJ in 71.5% of them. For the ratio of urinary tiamine (mg)/urinary inosine (g), 51.3% subjects exhibited decreased excretion, especially in the school-age children. We conclude that those people who take the refined cereals and its products as a staple food, is in the risk of thiamine deficiency.