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BENFOTIAMINE

Other Names:

Benfothiamine, Benfotiamin, S-benzoylthiamine O-monophosphate

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BENFOTIAMINE Overview Information

Benfotiamine is similar to thiamine (vitamin B1), but is absorbed by the body better than thiamine. The body changes benfotiamine to thiamine.

Since the body absorbs benfotiamine better than thiamine, benfotiamine can increase how much thiamine is in the body. This may help prevent or treat certain symptoms or diseases caused by low thiamine levels. Benfotiamine can be made by certain plants, such as garlic and onion. It can also be made in a lab.

People use benfotiamine for nerve damage caused by diabetes (diabetic neuropathy). It is also used for alcohol use disorder, Alzheimer disease, arthritis, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses.

BENFOTIAMINE Uses & Effectiveness

Possibly Effective for:

Nerve pain in people with diabetes (diabetic neuropathy). Taking benfotiamine by mouth, with or without vitamin B6 and B12, can improve pain and other symptoms of nerve damage caused by diabetes.

Possibly Ineffective for:

Kidney damage in people with diabetes (diabetic nephropathy). Taking benfotiamine by mouth does not seem to improve markers of kidney damage in people with diabetes who have kidney disease.

There is interest in using benfotiamine for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

BENFOTIAMINE Side Effects & Safety

When taken by mouth: Benfotiamine is likely safe at doses of up to 600 mg daily for up to 24 weeks. Side effects are rare, but some people have reported stomach problems and skin rashes.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if benfotiamine is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

BENFOTIAMINE Interactions

We currently have no information for BENFOTIAMINE Interactions

BENFOTIAMINE Dosing

Benfotiamine is most often used by adults in doses of 150-600 mg by mouth daily for up to 6 months. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

View clinical references for this vitamin or supplement Sources

References:

Stracke, H., Lindemann, A., and Federlin, K. A benfotiamine-vitamin B combination in treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy. Exp Clin Endocrinol.Diabetes 1996;104(4):311-316. View abstract.

Winkler, G., Pal, B., Nagybeganyi, E., Ory, I., Porochnavec, M., and Kempler, P. Effectiveness of different benfotiamine dosage regimens in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy. Arzneimittelforschung. 1999;49(3):220-224. View abstract.

Alkhalaf A, Kleefstra N, Groenier KH, et al. Effect of benfotiamine on advanced glycation endproducts and markers of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation in diabetic nephropathy. PLoS One 2012;7(7):e40427. View abstract.

Alkhalaf A, Klooster A, van Oeveren W, et al. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial on benfotiamine treatment in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Diabetes Care 2010;33(7):1598-601. View abstract.

Babaei-Jadidi R, Karachalias N, Ahmed N, et al. Prevention of incipient diabetic nephropathy by high-dose thiamine and benfotiamine. Diabetes. 2003;52:2110-20. View abstract.

Beltramo E, Berrone E, Buttiglieri S, Porta M. Thiamine and benfotiamine prevent increased apoptosis in endothelial cells and pericytes cultured in high glucose. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2004;20(4):330-6. View abstract.

Berrone E, Beltramo E, Solimine C, Ape AU, Porta M. Regulation of intracellular glucose and polyol pathway by thiamine and benfotiamine in vascular cells cultured in high glucose. J Biol Chem 2006;281(14):9307-13. View abstract.

Bitsch R, Wolf M, Möller J, Heuzeroth L, Grüneklee D. Bioavailability assessment of the lipophilic benfotiamine as compared to a water-soluble thiamin derivative. Ann Nutr Metab 1991;35(5):292-6. View abstract.

Du X, Edelstein D, Brownlee M. Oral benfotiamine plus alpha-lipoic acid normalises complication-causing pathways in type 1 diabetes. Diabetologia 2008;51(10):1930-2. View abstract.

Frank T, Bitsch R, Maiwald J, Stein G. High thiamine diphosphate concentrations in erythrocytes can be achieved in dialysis patients by oral administration of benfotiamine. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2000;56(3):251-7. View abstract.

Fraser DA, Diep LM, Hovden IA, et al. The effects of long-term oral benfotiamine supplementation on peripheral nerve function and inflammatory markers in patients with type 1 diabetes: a 24-month, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Diabetes Care 2012;35(5):1095-7. View abstract.

Garg S, Syngle A, Vohra K. Efficacy and tolerability of advanced glycation end-products inhibitor in osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Clin J Pain 2013;29(8):717-24. View abstract.

Gibson GE, Luchsinger JA, Cirio R, et al. Benfotiamine and Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease: Results of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase IIa Clinical Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;78(3):989-1010. View abstract.

Greb A, Bitsch R. Comparative bioavailability of various thiamine derivatives after oral administration. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 1998 Apr;36(4):216-21. View abstract.

Hammes HP, Du X, Edelstein D, et al. Benfotiamine blocks three major pathways of hyperglycemic damage and prevents experimental diabetic retinopathy. Nat Med 2003;9(3):294-9. View abstract.

Harisa GI. Benfotiamine enhances antioxidant defenses and protects against cisplatin-induced DNA damage in nephrotoxic rats. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 2013;27(8):398-405. View abstract.

Haupt E, Ledermann H, Köpcke W. Benfotiamine in the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy--a three-week randomized, controlled pilot study (BEDIP study). Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 2005;43(2):71-7. Erratum in: Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 2005;43(6):304. View abstract.

Loew D. Pharmacokinetics of thiamine derivatives especially of benfotiamine. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 1996;34(2):47-50. View abstract.

Manzardo AM, He J, Poje A, Penick EC, Campbell J, Butler MG. Double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of benfotiamine for severe alcohol dependence. Drug Alcohol Depend 2013;133(2):562-70. View abstract.

Manzardo AM, Pendleton T, Poje A, Penick EC, Butler MG. Change in psychiatric symptomatology after benfotiamine treatment in males is related to lifetime alcoholism severity. Drug Alcohol Depend 2015;152:257-63. View abstract.

Pan X, Chen Z, Fei G, et al. Long-term cognitive improvement after benfotiamine administration in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Bull 2016;32(6):591-6. View abstract.

Pan X, Gong N, Zhao J, et al. Powerful beneficial effects of benfotiamine on cognitive impairment and beta-amyloid deposition in amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1 transgenic mice. Brain 2010;133(Pt 5):1342-51. View abstract.

Pomero F, Molinar Min A, La Selva M, Allione A, Molinatti GM, Porta M. Benfotiamine is similar to thiamine in correcting endothelial cell defects induced by high glucose. Acta Diabetol 2001;38(3):135-8. View abstract.

Schmid U, Stopper H, Heidland A, Schupp N. Benfotiamine exhibits direct antioxidative capacity and prevents induction of DNA damage in vitro. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2008;24(5):371-7. View abstract.

Sheng L, Cao W, Lin P, et al. Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of Single and Multiple Ascending Doses of Benfotiamine in Healthy Subjects. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:1101-1110. View abstract.

Shoeb M, Ramana KV. Anti-inflammatory effects of benfotiamine are mediated through the regulation of the arachidonic acid pathway in macrophages. Free Radic Biol Med 2012;52(1):182-90. View abstract.

Simeonov S, Pavlova M, Mitkov M, Mincheva L, Troev D. Therapeutic efficacy of "Milgamma" in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. Folia Med (Plovdiv) 1997;39(4):5-10. View abstract.

Stirban A, Pop A, Tschoepe D. A randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled trial of 6 weeks benfotiamine treatment on postprandial vascular function and variables of autonomic nerve function in type 2 diabetes. Diabet Med 2013;30(10):1204-8. View abstract.

Stirban OA, Zeller-Stefan H, Schumacher J, et al. Treatment with benfotiamine in patients with diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group pilot study over 12?months. J Diabetes Complications. 2020;34(12):107757. View abstract.

Stracke H, Gaus W, Achenbach U, Federlin K, Bretzel RG. Benfotiamine in diabetic polyneuropathy (BENDIP): results of a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2008;116(10):600-5. View abstract.

Sugimori N, Espinoza JL, Trung LQ, et al. Paraptosis cell death induction by the thiamine analog benfotiamine in leukemia cells. PLoS One 2015;10(4):e0120709. View abstract.

Sun XJ, Zhao L, Zhao N, et al. Benfotiamine prevents increased ß-amyloid production in HEK cells induced by high glucose. Neurosci Bull 2012;28(5):561-6. View abstract.

Syngle A, Vohra K, Garg N, Kaur L, Chand P. Advanced glycation end-products inhibition improves endothelial dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis. Int J Rheum Dis 2012;15(1):45-55. View abstract.

Woelk H, Lehrl S, Bitsch R, Köpcke W. Benfotiamine in treatment of alcoholic polyneuropathy: an 8-week randomized controlled study (BAP I Study). Alcohol Alcohol 1998;33(6):631-8. View abstract.

Xie F, Cheng Z, Li S, et al. Pharmacokinetic study of benfotiamine and the bioavailability assessment compared to thiamine hydrochloride. J Clin Pharmacol 2014;54(6):688-95. View abstract.

Ziems M, Netzel M, Bitsch I. Biokinetic parameters and metabolism of S-benzoylthiamine-O-monophosphate. Biofactors. 2000;11(1-2):109-10. View abstract.

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