Riboflavin, or vitamin B-2, is one of several B vitamins you need in your daily diet. You should get enough riboflavin from food sources, but you may also get it from a daily multivitamin. Riboflavin is water soluble, so your body excretes any excess through urine. Because you are able to get rid of excessive riboflavin, you probably won't experience too many adverse effects from a large dosage. If you take a multivitamin or other type of dietary supplement, let your healthcare provider know, as a precautionary measure.
Functions
Riboflavin activates flavocoenzymes, which are essential cofactors for carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, allowing your body to get energy from the foods you eat. This B vitamin also has some antioxidant properties, since low levels of riboflavin in your system can lead to oxidative stress. When this occurs, harmful highly reactive free radicals destroy normally healthy cells, leading to illness and chronic disease. Having adequate riboflavin in your diet can help boost your immune system, by warding off damaging free radicals.
Proper Dosage
Women need 1.1 mg of riboflavin daily, while men require 1.3 mg, the Linus Pauling Institute reports. If you are pregnant, increase your intake to 1.4 mg or 1.6 mg if you are breastfeeding. Fortified breakfast cereals commonly provide most of your recommended daily allowance, or RDA, of riboflavin, but check the nutrition facts label to see exactly how much your cereal offers. Additional sources include milk, eggs, almonds, salmon, chicken and broccoli.
Toxicity
Most nutrients have an established tolerable upper intake level, also called a UL. This measurement informs you how much of the nutrient you can safely ingest, so you don't consume too much. Riboflavin does not have a UL, since toxic or adverse effects seem to be minimal in humans, says the Linus Pauling Institute. You are unlikely to overdose from excessive riboflavin from your multivitamin or other dietary supplement. High doses of riboflavin may turn your urine a bright yellow color, but this effect is not harmful to your health.
Negative Effects
Excessive riboflavin may lead to some gastrointestinal distress, such as cramping and diarrhea, while your body pulls water to eliminate the high dose. These effects are often temporary and resolve on their own. High doses of riboflavin may interact with certain medications, so it is pertinent that you inform your physician if you take riboflavin or B-complex vitamins. In particular, riboflavin may negatively interact with certain antidepressants, seizure medications and arthritic medications, explains Medline Plus. These medications may affect how riboflavin breaks down and absorbs in your body, possibly increasing the amount of riboflavin in your system at one time.
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