A study on thiamine nutritional status of Khayan Township

As staple food of Myanmar is rice, there is a risk to develop thiamine deficiency. So a study was conducted in Khayan township to assess its thiamine nutritional status. Transketolase enzyme activity stimulation test of 59 pregnant women and 26 lactating mothers were studied and 12.9 per cent of them were found to be in deficient state. Thiamine concentration of breast milk samples collected from 31 lactating mothers was also measured; the mean value was 6.7 + or - 4.3 mcg/100ml. Rice samples were collected from conventinal type rice mills, Huller type rice mills and residences of Paukone village, and their thiamine content were 59.7 + or - 23.6 mcg/100gm (n=5), 66.8 + or - 22.7 mcg/100gm (n=20) and 73.97 + or - 41.2 mcg/100gm (n=26) respectively. Boiled rice samples were also collected from Paukone village and the mean thiamine content was 10.74 + or - 8.73 mcg/100gm (n=33). Thus it seems that thiamine nutritional status of Khayan is not in a satisfactory state.