Doses of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can reverse early kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, research shows.

The team from Warwick University tested the effect of vitamin B1, which is found in meat, yeast and grain, on 40 patients from Pakistan.

The treatment stopped the loss of a key protein in the urine, the journal Diabetologia reports.

Charity Diabetes UK called the results “very promising” – but said it was too early for any firm conclusions.

The latest findings build on earlier work by the Warwick University team, showing that many diabetes patients have a deficiency of thiamine.

According to the researchers, this cheap and readily available supplement could benefit most people with diabetes – both type 1 and type 2 – as between 70% and 90% of people with diabetes are thiamine deficient.…read more of story here.