Riboflavin is a B vitamin. It can be found in certain foods such as milk, meat, eggs, nuts, enriched flour, and green vegetables.
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Uses
- Riboflavin is used for preventing low levels of riboflavin (riboflavin deficiency), cervical cancer, and migraine headaches. It is also used for treating riboflavin deficiency, acne, muscle cramps, burning feet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, and blood disorderssuch as congenital methemoglobinemia and red blood cell aplasia. Some people use riboflavin for eye conditions including eye fatigue, cataracts, and glaucoma.
- Other uses include increasing energy levels; boosting immune system function; maintaining healthy hair, skin, mucous membranes, and nails; slowing aging; boosting athletic performance; promoting healthy reproductive function; canker sores; memory loss, including Alzheimer’s disease; ulcers; burns; alcoholism; liver disease; sickle cellanemia; and treating lactic acidosis brought on by treatment with a class of AIDS medications called NRTI drugs.
Benefits
- Riboflavin is a well absorbed water soluble vitamin, which has a key role to play in maintaining overall human health. Some of its major health benefits are given below:
- Helps in Energy Production: Riboflavin plays a major role in the production of energy by assisting in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
- Helps in RBC production: Vitamin B2 is essential for the formation of fresh red blood cells and antibodies in humans, which increases circulation and oxygenation to various organ systems of the body.
- Regulates Growth and Reproduction: Riboflavin is very important for ensuring proper growth and development of the reproductive organs, and the growth of body tissues such as the skin, connective tissue, eyes, mucous membranes, nervous system and the immune system. In addition, it also ensures healthy skin, nails and hair growth.
- Regulates Thyroid Activity: Vitamin B2 can regulate thyroid activity.
- Prevents Disease Conditions: Vitamin B2 can help to prevent many common conditions like migraine headaches, cataracts, acne, dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and eczema.
- Prevents Acne: Riboflavin helps to improve the mucus secretion of the skin and might clean up the skin pustules that are so common with acne.
- Protects the Nervous System: Vitamin B2 can help in treating various nervous system conditions such as numbness, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, anxiety and epilepsy, among others. It is thought that riboflavin, when used along with vitamin B6, is effective for treating the painful symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
- Essential for Normal Growth: Riboflavin is associated with the formulation of proteins, making it essential for normal growth of the body.
- Ensures Healthy Eyes: Vitamin B2 plays a major role in ensuring healthy corneas and perfect vision.
- Helps to Slow HIV/AIDS: Studies have shown that riboflavin can slow down the progression of the AIDS virus.
- Boosts Mineral Absorption: It helps in the absorption of minerals such as iron, folic acid and other Vitamins such as B1, B3 and B6.Helps Repair Tissues: Riboflavin plays an important role in the repair of tissues, the healing of wounds and other injuries that can take a long time to fully recover.
- Protects the Digestive Tract: It plays a major role in maintaining and protecting the mucous membranes in the digestive system.
- Healthy Fetal Development: Although there is no concrete proof to substantiate the claims that Vitamin B2 is essential for the healthy progression of pregnancy, it is regarded as an essential ingredient of a future mother’s diet, along with Vitamin A.
- Increases Immunity: Riboflavin also helps to enhance natural immunity by strengthening the antibody reserves and by reinforcing the defense system against infections.
Cautions
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Riboflavin is LIKELY SAFE for pregnant or breast-feeding women when taken in the amounts recommended. The recommended amounts are 1.4 mg per day for pregnant women and 1.6 mg per day in breast-feeding women. Riboflavin is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth in larger doses, short-term. Some research shows that riboflavin is safe when taken at a dose of 15 mg once every 2 weeks for 10 weeks.
- Hepatitis, Cirrhosis, Billary obstruction: Riboflavin absorption is decreased in people with these conditions.
Interactions
- Drying medications (Anticholinergic drugs) interacts with RIBOFLAVIN
Some drying medications can affect the stomach and intestines. Taking these drying medications with riboflavin (vitamin B2) can increase the amount of riboflavin that is absorbed in the body. But it’s not known if this interaction is important. - Medications for depression (Tricyclic antidepressants) interacts with RIBOFLAVIN
Some medications for depression can decrease the amount of riboflavin in the body. This interaction is not a big concern because it only occurs with very large amounts of some medications for depression. - Phenobarbital (Luminal) interacts with RIBOFLAVIN
Riboflavin is broken down by the body. Phenobarbital might increase how quickly riboflavin is broken down in the body. It is not clear if this interaction is significant. - Probenecid (Benemid) interacts with RIBOFLAVIN
Probenecid (Benemid) can increase how much riboflavin is in the body. This might cause there to be too much riboflavin in the body. But it’s not known if this interaction is a big concern.
Other names
- B Complex Vitamin, Complexe de Vitamines B, Flavin, Flavine, Lactoflavin, Lactoflavine, Riboflavina, Riboflavine, Vitamin B-2, Vitamin G, Vitamina B2, Vitamine B2, Vitamine G
References
Organic Facts, https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vitamins/health-benefits-of-vitamin-b2-or-riboflavin.html