In 2007, I watched a nature documentary called Zombie Alligators. The documentary chronicles the weird behavior and ultimate deaths of everglade gators in the late 90s. The ferocious beasts would appear unsteady on their feet or in the water. They stopped eating and showed mental confusion. For awhile they would survive in this "zombie" state until ultimately dying. Scientists in Florida were dumbfounded. They did every study they could trying to determine the cause only to come up empty handed.
Eventually the scientists in Florida met up with scientists studying neuropathy and death of salmon in the Great Lakes region. The salmon suffered from a thiamine (B1) deficiency. Making a connection between this deficiency and alligator deaths broke the case of "zombies" wide open. Scientists were able to determine that more algae was being produced in the lake, increasing food sources and therefore populations of a certain fish known to inhibit thiamine absorption when consumed. Beyond inhibiting absorption, the fish population crowded out other thiamine food sources for the alligators. It was an ecological chain of events that caused one of the oldest types of reptiles, surviving from pre-history, to lay down and die.
What does this have to do with us humans?
As we try different fad diets we tend to limit or ban certain foods - no gluten, no carbs, no meat, et cetera. In doing so, we reduce variety in our food choices and increase our risk for deficiency.
Humans obtain small amounts of thiamine from oatmeal, flax, sunflower seeds, brown rice, wholegrain rye, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, potatoes, oranges, liver, and eggs. You have to eat a wide-range of foods everyday to get enough thiamine. If you restrict carb consumption, you could place yourself at risk for deficiency. Further, a strictly raw diet, where you eat a lot of thiamine-inhibiting fish and shellfish, may lead to deficiency as well.
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