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Benfotiamine vs Thiamine: How Do These Two Forms of Vitamin B1 Differ?
Benfotiamine vs thiamine is a comparison of two forms of vitamin B1: thiamine dissolves in water, while benfotiamine is a synthetic, fat-soluble form the body converts to thiamine. SciatiEase lists 200 mg of benfotiamine per 4 capsules. Nerve studies used 120 to 900 mg a day, with mixed results.
Written by the SciatiEase label deskUpdated · 4 min read
The two forms01
What is the difference in benfotiamine vs thiamine?
The difference in benfotiamine vs thiamine is how they dissolve. Thiamine is the water-soluble vitamin B1. Benfotiamine is a man-made, fat-soluble version that the body turns into thiamine (NIH ODS, Thiamin (benfotiamine)).
The daily need for thiamine is small: 1.1 to 1.2 mg, with no upper limit set (NIH ODS, Thiamin (benfotiamine)).
| Thiamine | Benfotiamine | |
|---|---|---|
| Dissolves in | Water | Fat |
| Source | Food, vitamins | Synthetic |
The research02
Does benfotiamine help nerve symptoms?
Benfotiamine has mixed results in nerve studies. In a trial of 165 people with diabetic neuropathy, 600 mg a day beat placebo only in one analysis, and the other just missed (BENDIP trial, benfotiamine 2008).
A wider review of B vitamins found the evidence insufficient (Cochrane, Vitamin B for neuropathy).
These studies looked at diabetic nerve problems.
Your day03
How much benfotiamine is in SciatiEase?
SciatiEase has 200 mg of benfotiamine per 4 capsules and 100 mg per 2. That is under the 300 and 600 mg trial doses.
The sales page splits the 4 capsules between breakfast and dinner (SciatiEase sales page).
- Breakfast, about 7:30
2 capsules with food, as the sales page suggests. Prescribed medicine stays on its own schedule, 30 minutes apart.
- A short walk after lunch
Staying active and using heat are first steps in the American College of Physicians back pain guideline.
- Dinner, about 6:30
2 more capsules make the 4-capsule label serving. Passionflower can cause drowsiness, so evening suits it.
- Night, 7 to 9 hours
Note how you slept and how the car seat or desk chair felt the next day. A simple log beats memory.
Timing from the sales page (SciatiEase sales page) and the official site (SciatiEase official site); activity and heat from the ACP guideline (ACP guideline, Annals 2017); drowsiness from NCCIH (NCCIH, Passionflower). The times are suggestions; follow your bottle.
SciatiEase: from $49 a bottle120 capsules · 1, 3 or 6 bottles · free US shipping on 3 or 6 · 180-day guarantee
See packsBefore you order04
Who should check before using benfotiamine?
Anyone on prescribed medicine should ask a pharmacist first. Keep taking prescribed medicine on schedule. The warning panel is not in the images we have; follow the bottle you receive.
Three bottles cost $177, six cost $294, with a 180-day guarantee. See the ingredients guide and how to take SciatiEase.
FAQ05
Benfotiamine questions
Is benfotiamine a form of thiamine on a supplement label?
Benfotiamine is a derivative of vitamin B1, not the same molecule. The body converts it to thiamine, and the SciatiEase panel lists benfotiamine rather than plain thiamine.
Does a fat-soluble B vitamin build up in the body?
The body converts benfotiamine to thiamin, and no upper limit was set for thiamin. Still ask a pharmacist about any supplement taken long term.
What did the 165-person benfotiamine trial show?
People took 600 mg, 300 mg or placebo for 6 weeks. The main symptom score improved only in one analysis, and the total score did not differ, so confirmation is still needed.
Who wrote this06
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the official site, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a SciatiEase authorized U.S. retailer, not by the manufacturer. We are paid a commission when you buy through our order links.
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