1. Thiamin deficiency was observed only in the Chinese community even though all three communities had the same staple (rice) diet. 2. Explain. On packages of enriched rice sold in supermarkets, the rice preparation directions state that the rice should not be washed before cooking. Explain. 3. Severe metabolic acidosis caused by high levels of lactate is often associated with thiamin deficiency. Explain.4. Provide two plausible explanations for what might cause above normal levels of pyruvate in blood and urine. How can one determine which of the two explanations is correct? 5. Why does thiamin utilization increase among cancer patients? 6. A negative correlation exists between the need for thiamin and the amount of fat in the diet. Explain.

Answer and Explanation:

1. This is likely to happen because Chinese people often wash rice before cooking. This act ends up reducing the amount of thiamine that rice has. This causes the Chinese to consume rice that is low in thiamine, which causes the deficiency of this nutrient in the Chinese population.

2. The recommendation that rice should not be washed before cooking is precisely to avoid the loss of thiamine, since thiamine is a water-soluble protein, so when we wash rice, this vitamin is dissolved before being consumed.

3. Thiamine deficiency stimulates the accumulation of lactic acid and pyruvate in the body. This causes muscle damage, which can lead to lactic acidosis, as thiamine is essential in lactic acid metabolism.

4. Abnormal levels of pyruvate can be caused by a deficiency of thiamine in the body, or by eating foods that cause the creation of pyruvate in the body. We can determine which explanation is correct, through a blood test that will be able to determine the amount of thiamine in an organism.

5. Thiamine is directly related to the proliferation of cancer cells. The more thiamine is used, the greater the proliferation of cancer cells, that is, low levels of thiamine accelerate cancer.

6. Thiamine requirement is inversely proportional to the amount of fat in the diet, as increased thiamine can lead to increased appetite and increased fat accumulation.