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Riboflavin - Vitamin B2
Overview & Description
Riboflavin, also called Vitamin B2, is a water-soluble vitamin. It is one of the eight B vitamins. The B vitamin complex includes vitamins B1, niacin, B6, B12, folate, biotin, and pantothenic acid.
Information
Because riboflavin is so key to health, a shortage in the diet can cause problems. Severe riboflavin deficiency with clinical symptoms is rare. Mild deficiencies are more common, especially with elderly people and individuals with anorexia nervosa.
Strict vegans, who eat no meat or dairy products, may have riboflavin deficiencies. Symptoms can include:
Children who do not get enough riboflavin over a long period of time can have poor growth. Vitamin supplements usually reverse symptoms within a few days to a few weeks.
It is not possible to be poisoned by too much riboflavin. Because it is a water-soluble vitamin, any extra is passed in the urine.
Functions and Sources
What food source is the nutrient found in?
Good sources of riboflavin include:
In the United States, milk products supply about half of the riboflavin that people get. Ultraviolet light, such as sunlight, destroys riboflavin. This is why milk is stored in opaque plastic or cardboard containers. Unlike other vitamins, riboflavin is not destroyed by cooking.
However, when grains are milled, or refined, most of the riboflavin and other nutrients are removed. This makes whole-grain foods, such as oatmeal and whole wheat, better choices. Enriched refined foods are also healthy choices because the riboflavin lost in refining has been added back in. Refined - but non-enriched foods, such as white rice, do not supply riboflavin in any significant amount. The content of riboflavin in some common foods is as follows:
How does the nutrient affect the body?
Riboflavin helps keep the body healthy in a number of ways, including the following:
The recommended daily allowances, called RDAs, for this nutrient are:
Several servings per day of riboflavin-rich foods are needed to meet requirements. Because riboflavin is found in so many foods, a balanced diet will usually provide enough.
Attribution
Author:Kimberly Tessmer, RD, LD
Date Written:
Editor:Crist, Gayle P., MS, BA
Edit Date:09/28/02
Reviewer:Kathleen A. MacNaughton, RN, BSN
Date Reviewed:09/27/02
Sources
Somer, E., MA, RD. & Health Media of America. (1995). The Essential Guide To Vitamins and Minerals (2nd ed.). New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Duyff, R., MS, RD, CFCS. (1996). The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food & Nutrition Guide. Minnesota: Chronimed Publishing.
Escott-Stump, S., MA, RD. (1997). Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care. Fourth Ed. William and Wilkins.
Anderson, J., MS, Deskins, B., PhD, RD. (1995). The Nutrition Bible. William Morrow and Co., Inc.
Farley, D. (1996). More People Trying Vegetarian Diets. FDA Consumer. US Food and Drug Administration.
Madigan, S.M., et al. (1998). Riboflavin and vitamin B-6 intakes and status and biochemical response to riboflavin supplementation in free-living elderly people. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 68, 389-395.
Callinice, D., et al. (1999). Riboflavin and riboflavin- derived cofactors in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 69, 4: 672-678.