Key findings from detailed records
Population: 82 people with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy, taking an ACE inhibitor or ARB. Findings: Thiamine status improved, but urinary albumin and KIM-1 did not decrease significantly.
KNOWLEDGE RECORD
- Category
- Metabolism and cellular function
- Last Reviewed
Names and related search termsBenfotiamine / Benfotiamine / Vitamin B1 derivative
Study type: human intervention study.
OUTCOME-SPECIFIC EVIDENCE
Scientific Evidence Profile
Assessment pending
An outcome-specific assessment has not yet been completed. This is not a finding that the ingredient is ineffective. The study records below remain available.
This profile concerns the stated outcome and population, not the ingredient as a whole. It is not a probability of benefit, a safety rating, a product efficacy rating or an indication of product adoption.
How we assess evidenceIngredient Profile
- What is it?
- Benfotiamine is a synthetic derivative of thiamine, vitamin B1. The derivative and the vitamin have different molecular structures. [1]
Sources for this profile
Compound properties and formulation properties are different. These sources do not establish the efficacy of a finished supplement.
- PubChem — Benfotiamine (CID 3032771) Chemical identity reference. Maintained by NCBI, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Database record; not a clinical trial.
Profile sources checked:
Read the evidence in context
- Evidence: what was measured in the stated population or experimental model.
- Inference: an interpretation connecting findings; its applicability depends on the study conditions.
- Hypothesis: a proposed explanation or effect that remains to be tested.
Why It Matters #
Does improving thiamine status also improve markers of kidney damage? Check the detailed records for study conditions and use the literature map to compare other populations and outcomes.
What Was Studied #
82 people with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy, taking an ACE inhibitor or ARB. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Outcomes: 24-hour urinary albumin excretion and KIM-1[1]
What Was Found #
Thiamine status improved, but urinary albumin and KIM-1 did not decrease significantly.[1]
What the Evidence Means #
A short-term, high-dose trial in patients receiving medication. It does not establish long-term use in healthy people or effects on other symptoms.[1]
Comparing similar populations, formulations, durations and outcomes helps identify where findings agree and where they differ.
What We Can Learn #
Distinguish a change in nutrient status from improvement in disease markers. Classification as a medicine may also vary by country.
What Remains Unknown #
Further questions include reproducibility across populations and formulations, and the long-term balance of benefits and harms. Use the literature map as a starting point for these questions.
LITERATURE MAP / 10 PAPERS
Compare papers by conditions and findings.
A literature map covering different populations, outcomes and formulations. Read alongside detailed records to avoid treating one trial as the conclusion for an entire ingredient.
Selected: 2026-09-21. Bibliographic information checked against Europe PMC / PubMed. Editorial selection considered major papers and a range of populations and questions. This is not a systematic search covering all recent research.
10 RECORDS
A dash marks fields outside the bibliographic record. Use detailed records to compare findings and design records to connect mechanisms.
No papers match. Change the search conditions.
The literature map is an index of research questions and references. Individual assessment of results, doses, funding and COI is limited to the detailed study records. Related reports from the same trial may be included; paper counts are not counts of independent trials.
Explore the research Study Records
Listed doses describe study conditions, not recommended intake.
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial on benfotiamine treatment in patients with diabetic nephropathy.
PubMed 20413516DOI: 10.2337/dc09-2241
- Authors
- Alkhalaf A, Klooster A, van Oeveren W, Achenbach U, Kleefstra N, Slingerland RJ, Mijnhout GS, Bilo HJ, Gans RO, Navis GJ, Bakker SJ.
- Journal
- Diabetes care
- Publication year
- 2010
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Participants
- The methods report enrollment of 43 participants per group. The reported analysis contains 82 adults with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy (39 benfotiamine, 43 placebo), receiving ACE inhibitors or ARBs.
- Dose and intervention
- Benfotiamine 900 mg/day
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Outcomes and their role in the study
- 24-hour urinary albumin excretion and KIM-1
- Findings
- Thiamine status improved, but urinary albumin and KIM-1 did not decrease significantly.
- Limitations
- A short, high-dose trial in medicated patients, not evidence for long-term use in healthy people. In the active group, 4 withdrew: 2 after newly diagnosed malignancy and 2 withdrawing consent with dizziness or urticaria; the report does not establish causation. Missing dropout data were not replaced.
- Funding
- Partly supported by the EU PREDICTIONS network and the medical research foundation in Zwolle. Wörwag Pharma prepared the study medication.
- Conflict of Interest
- U.A. was head of medical affairs at Wörwag Pharma and contributed to protocol and approval documents, but not recruitment, evaluation, data collection or analysis. The paper also states that no relevant potential conflicts were reported.
- Scope of source review
- Primary methods, analysis population, outcomes, withdrawals and disclosures checked on 2026-10-24.
Cite this page
LÍFSVARÐA. Benfotiamine: Does improving thiamine status also improve markers of kidney damage? Version 1.1 / Updated 2026-10-24
https://lifsvarda.com/knowledge/benfotiamine/Edited by LÍFSVARÐA (product brand).Editorial policy
Sources and updates
- Alkhalaf A, Klooster A, van Oeveren W, Achenbach U, Kleefstra N, Slingerland RJ, Mijnhout GS, Bilo HJ, Gans RO, Navis GJ, Bakker SJ. (2010). A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial on benfotiamine treatment in patients with diabetic nephropathy.Primary methods, analysis population, outcomes, withdrawals and disclosures checked on 2026-10-24.
First published: 2026-09-21 / Version 1.1. Updated 2026-09-23: Added a research comparison table and links to design records. Source notes identify the scope of verification when the full paper has not been reviewed. Research summaries and LÍFSVARÐA’s interpretation are distinguished.