Benfotiamine raises the blood level of thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP), the biologically active coenzyme of thiamin, and stimulates transketolase, a cellular enzyme essential for maintenance of normal glucose metabolic pathways. Benfotiamine can greatly improve thiamin status, especially in comparison with regular forms of thiamin. In a randomized, double-blind crossover trial comparing bioavailability of benfotiamine to that of thiamin mononitrate (the most common supplemental form of vitamin B1) in 12 individuals, benfotiamine caused an average 5-fold greater increase in blood thiamin levels than thiamin mononitrate, with a concomitant greater thiamin concentration in red blood cells. Benfotiamine is converted to S-benzoylthiamin (through removal of the O-monophosphate by the digestive tract), which readily passes through intestinal cells and is converted into thiamin.