Thiamine supplementation for chronic congestive heart failure (CHF):
Thiamine supplementation may be beneficial for individuals taking diuretic drugs to manage chronic heart failure. Nine diuretic-treated patients (aged 45-75 years) with symptomatic chronic heart failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a measurement of how much blood is being pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart, less than 40% were randomly assigned to receive 300 mg per day of thiamine or placebo for 4 weeks. After a 6-week washout period (no treatment was received), each patient received the alternate treatment for an additional 4 weeks. Mean LVEF at baseline was 29.5%. Mean LVEF was significantly higher after thiamine treatment than after placebo (32.8% vs. 28.8%). (13)