Essential Nutrient: Function, Food Sources, and Insufficiency - Focusing on Vitamin B2
Kin'ta Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, is a crucial vitamin for human health. Most peeps call it by its street name – riboflavin – but whatever you call it, it's vital for a body that keeps on running.
This water-soluble vingy nutrient dissolves in water and gets carried through the bloodstream. All vitamins are either water or fat-soluble, but the water-soluble ones are the ones that matter most cause they get flushed out of the body when you pee.
People gotta eat riboflavin daily since the body can only store small amounts, and supplies go down rapidly. You'll find this critical nutrient in some foods, added to others, and as supplements. Most of it absorbs in the small intestine.
Role
Let's talk 'bout what riboflavin does for your bod. Riboflavin plays a significant role in breaking down proteins, fats, and carbs. It's the boss when it comes to maintaining the body's energy supply, helping convert carbs into energy-storing compounds like ATP.
Wanna know the deal with ATP? The body produces ATP from food, and this puppy produces energy as needed when the body calls on it. ATP is vital for storing energy in muscles.
Apart from its role in energy production, riboflavin is essential for maintaining the mucous membranes in the digestive system, keeping a healthy liver (which everybody needs), converting certain amino acids, supporting eye, nerve, muscle, and skin health, and helping the body absorb iron, folic acid, and various other vital nutrients.
Research suggests that riboflavin may help prevent cataracts, improve vision, and reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. But hold up – more studies gotta be done to confirm these findings.
Duh, vitamin B2 is also vital for hormone production by the adrenal glands and fetal development, especially in areas where vitamin deficiency is common.
Sources
Now let's dive into where to get this bad boy. Foods, baby. It comes from foods like fish, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, asparagus, artichokes, avocados, cayenne, currants, and more. Fortified cereals, kelp, lima beans, navy beans, peas, molasses, mushrooms, nuts, parsley, pumpkins, rosehips, sage, sweet potatoes, cruciferous vegetables, whole-grain breads, enriched breads, wheat bran, and yeast extract are some other sources.
Fun fact, cooking foods can make you lose riboflavin – as much as the B2 is lost through boiling as it is through steaming or microwaving.
How Much Do We Need?
According to the smart folks at Oregon State University, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin B2 for men aged 19 years and older is 1.3 milligrams per day, and for women, it's 1.1 milligrams per day. Pregnant women should up their intake to 1.4 milligrams per day, and breastfeeding mamas should aim for 1.6 milligrams per day.
Deficiency
If you ain't getting enough riboflavin, you gotta watch out for deficiency problems. This includes angular cheilitis, dry skin, inflammation of the lining of the mouth, and more. Excessive alcohol consumption puts you at risk of vitamin B deficiency.
Risks
Usually, riboflavin is thought to be safe. An overdose is unlikely, as the body can absorb up to around of riboflavin and excrete any extra amounts in the urine. Talk to your physician before taking supplements, especially as they can interfere with other medications.
Some drugs, like tricyclic antidepressants, some antipsychotics, cancer medications, and more, can interfere with riboflavin levels in the body, so be sure to consult with a medical professional when in doubt.
[1] National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)[2] Virginia Tech Dietitians. Riboflavin Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment[3] Linus Pauling Institute – Riboflavin[4] Mayo Clinic – Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)[5] Nature – Riboflavin: Metabolism, functions, and therapeutic potential
- Riboflavin, also known as Vitamin B2, is essential for maintaining the body's energy supply, as it plays a significant role in breaking down proteins, fats, and carbs.
- This water-soluble micronutrient, ATP, is vital for storing energy in muscles and produces energy as needed when the body calls on it.
- Riboflavin is indispensable for the conversion of certain amino acids and supports eye, nerve, muscle, and skin health.
- Research indicates that riboflavin might help prevent cataracts, improve vision, and reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.
- Vitamin B2 is crucial for hormone production by the adrenal glands and fetal development, particularly in areas where vitamin deficiency is widespread.
- Food sources of riboflavin include fish, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, asparagus, artichokes, avocados, cayenne, currants, and many others.
- Cooking foods can lead to riboflavin loss, with as much B2 being lost through boiling as through steaming or microwaving.
- According to the recommended daily allowance (RDA), men aged 19 years and older should consume 1.3 milligrams of vitamin B2 daily, while women need 1.1 milligrams.
- A riboflavin deficiency can potentially result in angular cheilitis, dry skin, inflammation of the lining of the mouth, and more – excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk.
- An overdose of riboflavin is unlikely, as the body can absorb up to around 50 milligrams and excrete any extra amounts in the urine.
- Consult a physician before taking riboflavin supplements, as they may interfere with other medications and interact with drugs like tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotics, cancer medications, and more.
- Riboflavin deficiency might also lead to conditions such as multiple sclerosis, dry eye, type 2 diabetes, migraine, obesity, asthma, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriasis.
- Science and health-and-wellness professionals emphasize the importance of consuming a balanced and healthy diet, which includes foods rich in essential vitamins and nutrients like riboflavin, for maintaining overall health and well-being.
