Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, is one of six B vitamins. Together, the B vitamins help maintain proper health and function in your brain, nerves, liver, skin, hair, mouth and eyes, according to "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC. Vitamin B2, specifically, is necessary for normal cell growth and function and for metabolizing carbohydrates and fats.
Function and Benefits
Some of vitamin B2's specific functions include metabolizing tryptophan, assisting with absorption of vitamin B6 and iron and alleviating eye fatigue, according to Balch. According to Medline Plus, there is strong evidence in support of using vitamin B2 to treat neonatal jaundice. The scientific proof of many of B2's other purported uses, including treating depression, esophageal cancer, malaria and migraines, is inadequate or conflicting.
Recommended Dietary Allowance
The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for vitamin B2 is 1.1 mg daily for adult women and 1.3 mg for adult men. The RDA increases to 1.4 mg or 1.6 mg, respectively, for pregnant and breastfeeding women. The RDA for children ranges from 0.3 mg for newborns to babies 6 months of age, 1 mg for females from 14 to 18 years old and 1.3 mg for males in the same age group.
Food Sources
Good food sources of vitamin B2 include whole grains, mushrooms, soybeans, almonds, milk, yogurt, eggs, broccoli, leafy green vegetables like spinach, asparagus, avocados, kelp, molasses, brewer's yeast, Brussels sprouts and fortified flours and cereals.
The University of Maryland Medical Center advises that because light destroys riboflavin, storing food away from light helps protect its vitamin B2 content. Roasting or steaming your food also helps preserve more of the vitamin content than boiling or frying.
Signs of Deficiency
Riboflavin deficiency is rare in the United States among adults who eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. But Balch points out that taking oral contraceptives, engaging in strenuous exercise, drinking alcohol and taking antibiotics can deplete your body of vitamin B2 or elevate your requirements for it.
Possible signs of B2 deficiency include cracks and sores at the corners of your mouth, cataracts, skin lesions, mouth and tongue inflammation, dizziness, hair loss, insomnia, anemia and sore throat.
Considerations
Vitamin B2 is water-soluble; excess amounts are excreted in your urine. This, and the effects of consuming alcohol on the vitamin B2 level, make it a useful tracker of alcohol-dependent patients' compliance with a treatment program.
According to Medline Plus, there are no known cases of poisoning from taking vitamin B2. But according to Balch, taking excessive riboflavin, which is more than 50 mg daily, for an extended period of time may cause eye problems.
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