A serious disease caused by lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine) in the diet, characterized by nerve damage, weakness, and heart problems.
From Sinhalese 'beri' (weakness), literally meaning 'weakness-weakness' due to repetition in the original language. The disease was identified in Southeast Asia where polished white rice diets lacking thiamine caused widespread epidemics.
Beriberi was the disease that accidentally taught us about vitamins—in the early 1900s, doctors noticed that sailors eating preserved white rice got sick, but those eating whole grain stayed healthy, launching the entire field of nutritional science.
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