People with beriberi, a disease caused by thiamine deficiency, have elevated levels of blood pyruvate and a -ketoglutarate, especially after consuming a meal rich in glucose. How are these effects related to a deficiency of thiamine?
Thiamine pyrophosphate is a thiamine derivative and acts a coenzyme for various enzymes including pyruvate dehydrogenase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. These are involved in catabolism of pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate, respectively.
