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This powerful antioxidant tends to be overlooked, but its list of health benefits is long and profound.
By: Mercura Wang
Nineteen children with migraine were asked to take riboflavin daily. After three months, about 90 percent experienced significant improvement, and of those, 37 percent recovered completely, according to a 2021 study.
The importance of riboflavin, or vitamin B2, is often overlooked. Despite its role in various bodily functions, ranging from treating migraines to protecting against anemia, riboflavin frequently flies under the radar, earning it the nickname the “forgotten“ vitamin, according to a 2020 article in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
What Is Riboflavin’s Job?
Riboflavin is essential for generating energy in the body by helping to break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
It also acts as a powerful antioxidant, protecting cells from oxidative stress and free radical damage. It is a key component of the glutathione redox cycle, which helps maintain the body’s antioxidant defenses by regenerating glutathione.
Consequently, riboflavin may play a role in the prevention or treatment of chronic diseases that involve oxidative stress. For instance, riboflavin reportedly has a positive effect on blood sugar, and it can reduce hyperglycemia (abnormally high level of blood sugar) while decreasing tissue damage and cellular DNA damage in mice.
What Are the Different Types of Riboflavin?
When we talk about riboflavin, we’re not just discussing a single compound. This versatile vitamin comes in several forms, each playing a unique role in our bodies’ complex biochemical orchestra.
The main players in the riboflavin family include:
Free riboflavin: This is the basic unmodified, free form. It is found in foods like milk and eggs.
Flavin mononucleotide (FMN): This phosphorylated form activates other vitamins, such as vitamin B6.
Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD): FAD is the most common form in body tissues and is vital for energy production.
Over 90 percent of dietary riboflavin exists as FAD or FMN, while the remaining 10 percent consists of the free form, glycosides, or esters.
What Are the Key Health Benefits of Riboflavin?
Riboflavin contributes to numerous vital functions in the human body and offers a wide range of health benefits.
- Fights Migraine
Riboflavin helps reduce oxidative stress and nerve inflammation, which are linked to migraine headaches. It also plays a crucial role in normal mitochondrial function, and since mitochondrial abnormalities can contribute to migraines, riboflavin is studied as a preventive therapy for migraine. High-dose riboflavin supplementation has shown promise in reducing the frequency and severity of migraine headaches in some individuals.
- Maintains Healthy Vision
Riboflavin is crucial for eye health. It may help prevent cataracts and maintain normal vision. In a new treatment for corneal ectasia called corneal cross-linking, riboflavin eye drops are used with ultraviolet-A light to strengthen the cornea. Researchers are exploring riboflavin’s potential in treating other eye disorders, including glaucoma and keratoconus.
- Prevents Anemia
Riboflavin plays a role in iron absorption and utilization, and its deficiency may lead to anemia and iron metabolism. The vitamin also helps form red blood cells and with the transport of oxygen to cells.
- Protects the Brain and Nerves
Emerging research suggests that riboflavin may have neuroprotective effects, thus potentially benefiting individuals with certain neurological disorders. For example, multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the myelin and nerve fibers in the central nervous system, leading to progressive damage. As riboflavin is crucial for the formation of myelin, its deficiency is considered a risk factor for MS. According to a 2018 review, riboflavin may have neuroprotective effects in MS by supporting pathways often impaired in such conditions, including antioxidation, myelin formation, mitochondrial function, and iron metabolism.
- Reduces Cancer Risk
Although debated, riboflavin may be associated with a reduced risk of some cancers, according to the International Journal of Molecular Sciences article. For instance, riboflavin regenerates glutathione, an anti-cancer agent and a powerful antioxidant involved with cell differentiation, proliferation, cell death, and immune function.
A 15-year prospective study of 41,514 individuals in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study found that current smokers with higher dietary riboflavin intake (2.5 milligrams per day on average) had a significantly lower risk of lung cancer, while this inverse association was not observed in former or never smokers.
- Supports Immunity
Riboflavin is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system. It enhances the activity of neutrophils and macrophages, key players in the body’s defense against pathogens.
- Helps With Fetal Development
Adequate riboflavin intake during pregnancy is crucial for proper fetal development, particularly to help prevent certain birth defects such as congenital heart issues.
- Supports Mitochondria and Energy Production
Riboflavin is vital for mitochondrial energy production. Since some people with autism have mitochondrial dysfunction, adequate riboflavin levels may improve cellular energy metabolism in these individuals. A 2011 study suggested that supplementing with vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and magnesium can reduce abnormal organic acids, specifically dicarboxylic acids, in the urine of autistic children.
- Maintains Skin and Hair Health
Riboflavin contributes to maintaining healthy skin, mucous membranes, and hair.
- Lowers Blood Pressure
According to a 2010 article, riboflavin supplementation lowered blood pressure in patients with cardiovascular disease and the MTHFR TT genotype. FAD serves as a cofactor for the MTHFR enzyme.
Riboflavin may also be capable of managing metabolic disorders and cardiovascular health.
How Common Is Riboflavin Deficiency?
Riboflavin deficiency is “endemic” in many parts of the world, including within certain populations among affluent societies. While severe riboflavin deficiency is rare in developed countries, subclinical deficiency may be more common than previously thought. Certain conditions and factors increase the risk of riboflavin deficiency, including:
Age: Older people experience decreased absorption and dietary intake of riboflavin.
Alcoholism: Alcohol interferes with riboflavin absorption and utilization. It is also a diuretic, which increases the loss of riboflavin as fluid loss increases.
Chronic diseases affecting nutrient absorption: These include recurrent diarrhea, liver disorders, chronic alcohol use disorder, and malabsorption disorders that impair food absorption.
Pregnancy and lactation: Pregnant and lactating women have increased riboflavin requirements and may be at higher risk of deficiency, especially in developing countries.
Veganism and strict vegetarianism: Vegetarians do not consume dairy or meat products and thus could be at an increased risk of riboflavin deficiency.
Oral contraceptives: Oral contraceptives may interfere with riboflavin metabolism.
Increased energy needs: Athletes require more riboflavin.
Genes affecting riboflavin transport or metabolism: Individuals with mutations in riboflavin transporter genes (e.g., SLC52A2 and SLC52A3) may have impaired riboflavin absorption and utilization, leading to deficiency even with adequate dietary intake.
Certain procedures: For example, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, which filter the blood, can contribute to riboflavin deficiency.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Riboflavin Deficiency?
Riboflavin deficiency, also known as ariboflavinosis, can manifest in various ways. Depending on the extent of the deficiency, the signs and symptoms can range from mild to severe.
Many of these symptoms and signs are nonspecific and can be associated with other nutritional deficiencies or health conditions, including malignancies and peripheral neuropathy. Additionally, riboflavin deficiency often occurs alongside deficiencies of other B vitamins, which can complicate the clinical picture.
Common manifestations include:
Oral and throat symptoms (sore throat, chapped lips, sores at corners of the mouth, magenta-colored and swollen tongue)
Skin issues (rashes, acne, wrinkles, slow wound healing, scaly skin)
Eye problems (light sensitivity, itchy or watery eyes, pink eye, impaired vision, night blindness, cataracts)
Neurological symptoms (seizures, decreased or absent reflexes, nervous system degeneration)
Normochromic normocytic anemia due to impaired iron absorption and utilization
General symptoms (fatigue due to iron malabsorption, stunted growth in children, migraine, depression)
Reproductive issues (fetal development issues, birth defects, preeclampsia in pregnant women)
Impaired metabolism of other B vitamins, as well as altered fat and carbohydrate metabolism
Digestive issues (inability to digest carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; slowed digestion; diarrhea) –
