Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is an essential vitamin that participates in many biological reactions. These pills are effective for those suffering from riboflavin deficiency. In addition, research suggests Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin may help prevent migraine attacks, cataracts, and bone loss, improve depression, and kill blood-borne pathogens. Read below to learn more about B2, its main health benefits, and recommended doses.
What Is Vitamin B2?
As we look at Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin, its good to say that Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin is a vitamin that plays an integral role in the body. It is activated to produce the cofactors flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), which are necessary for many biological reactions such as those required for breaking down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
The main dietary sources of this vitamin include:
- Organ meats
- Poultry
- Fish
- Eggs
- Dairy products
- Broccoli
- Collard greens
- Turnips
- Fortified cereals
Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin is available in supplements for people concerned with their dietary B2 intake or who take it to reduce migraines, prevent cataracts, or maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails, among others.
Proponents
- Essential vitamin
- Effective at improving vitamin B2 deficiency and high blood homocysteine levels
- May reduce the risk of cataracts
- Reduce migraine attacks
- May kill blood-borne pathogens
- Reduce depression
- May prevent bone loss
- May improve cognitive function
Skeptics
- Insufficient evidence for some benefits
- Most people don’t need supplementation
- Repeated supplementation with high doses can be toxic to the liver and retinas
- Has been reported to cause anaphylaxis
Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin Benefits
Likely Effective:
Vitamin B2 Deficiency and High Blood Homocysteine
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key regulator of homocysteine (and folate) metabolism. Mutations in the gene that encodes this enzyme cause high blood homocysteine levels (hyperhomocysteinemia), which greatly increases the risk of heart disease by damaging the blood vessels and promoting their hardening and clogging .
Possibly Effective:
1) Eye Health
Increased dietary consumption of Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin has been associated with a significant decrease in age-related cataracts and lens opacity in several studies.
Corneal ectasia is the progressive thinning of the cornea, often as an adverse effect of laser eye surgery. The combination of riboflavin with UVA radiation (corneal cross-linking) triggers a reaction that strengthens the cornea by producing thicker collagen fibers. Multiple studies with follow-up periods of up to 6 years have shown disease stabilization and improvement with this procedure .
Corneal cross-linking was also beneficial to patients with eye inflammation.
Taken together, the evidence suggests that Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin helps prevent cataracts and its use combined with UVA radiation helps stop the progression of corneal ectasia and improve eye inflammation. You may discuss with your doctor if any of these strategies may be beneficial in your case.
2) Migraines
Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, some scientists believe that mitochondrial defects in people with migraines disturb energy metabolism in the brain. This possibly increases the excitability of brain cells and renders them hyperresponsive to migraine triggers.
Based on the available evidence, 2 meta-analyses concluded that supplementation with Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin is a safe, inexpensive, and effective way to prevent migraine attacks in adults, but not in children .
The evidence suggests that riboflavin helps prevent migraines in adults but not in children. You may use riboflavin supplements as an add-on to your treatment regime if your doctor recommends it.
3) Killing Blood-Borne Pathogens
Riboflavin activated by UV radiation damages the DNA and RNA of viruses, bacteria, and parasites and reduces their growth and survival. This technology can be applied to donated blood to prevent the transmission of infections with blood transfusions .
Treatment of whole blood with this technology reduced the infectivity of several:
- Bacteria (such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, S. pyogenes, and Klebsiella pneumoniae)
- Viruses (such as hepatitis B, ebola, herpes simplex, and polio)
- Parasites (such as Babesia microti, Leishmania donovani, Plasmodium falciparum, and Trypanosoma cruzi)
In a clinical trial on over 200 people receiving blood transfusions, this technology reduced the incidence of transfusion-transmitted malaria .
In another trial on 70 children with severe conditions that required frequent transfusions, this technology didn’t increase the frequency of adverse reactions and excessive immune response .
Importantly, the technology didn’t reduce the survival and viability of red blood cells and platelets.
All in all, this technology seems effective at killing blood-borne pathogens while preserving the viability and function of blood cells.
4) Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin On Depression
In a study on 98 female nurses, marginal riboflavin deficiency was associated with depression .
Similarly in another study on over 6,500 adolescents, vitamin B2 intake was associated with a reduced incidence of depression, but only in girls .
In a clinical trial on 14 elderly, depressed people, supplementation with B vitamins (B1, B2, and B6) as an add-on to tricyclic antidepressant treatment improved depressive symptoms and cognitive function .
Taken together, the evidence suggests that riboflavin helps prevent depression, especially in women. Additionally you may discuss with your doctor if supplementing with riboflavin may be helpful in your case. Importantly, never use it as a replacement for proven therapies prescribed by your doctor.
5) Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin On Bone Health
In a study of people with hyperhomocysteinemia (MTHFR C677T “AA” genotype), those who had the lowest intake of riboflavin had a 1.8-2.6X increased incidence of fractures. Similarly, another study on over 1,200 women found that those with this genotype and low bone mineral density could increase it by eating more vitamin B2.
Similarly in another study on over 5,300 elderly people, high dietary vitamin B2 was associated with increased bone mineral density in the neck.
Additionally Feeding pregnant rats with B2-deficient diets induced abnormal fetal development and skeletal malformations in a very old study.
In the same vein Vitamin B2 also induced the development of immature bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) in test tubes .
Although a bit limited, the evidence suggests that riboflavin supplementation may help prevent bone loss in risk populations. However if this is your case, you may discuss this complementary approach with your doctor.
Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin sufficient Evidence On
1) Cognitive Function
Generally Dietary vitamin B2 intake was associated with improved cognitive test scores in a study on 554 primary school children in rural Kenya.
Likewise in another study on 137 elderly people, high vitamin B2 intake was associated with improved abstract performance .
Although the results are promising, the evidence is insufficient to support the use of riboflavin to enhance cognitive function. Therefore further clinical research is required.
2) Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin On Cancer
Riboflavin consumption (in addition to vitamin B6) was associated with a reduced incidence of colorectal cancer in a study on over 88,000 postmenopausal women .
Most importantly Another study on over 6,500 people found that high vitamin B6 was associated with reduced incidence of proximal colon cancer but increased rectal cancer in women .
Likewise a meta-analysis of 10 studies and over 12,000 women found that vitamin B2 intake was only weakly associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer .
3) Cramps
Vitamin B2 (along with other B vitamins) helped reduce the length, pain intensity, and frequency of nocturnal leg cramps in a clinical trial on 28 elderly people .
Anti-inflammatory
Generally Riboflavin significantly reduced the expression of HMGB1 (high-mobility group protein B1), which is one of the factors responsible for inflammation in systemic inflammatory response syndrome (sepsis), in mice.
In addition to different animal experimental models, riboflavin supplementation reduced inflammation and pain .
Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin On Growth Performance
In mice, vitamin B2 supplementation increased iron and zinc uptake, rate of conception, weight gain during pregnancy, weight of the pups, and percentage of hemoglobin .
Liver Protection
Riboflavin protected mice from liver damage caused by a toxic chemical (carbon tetrachloride) and restored blood supply (ischemia-reperfusion injury).
Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin Possibly Ineffective
Multiple Sclerosis
In mice with multiple sclerosis, supplementary riboflavin helped suppress the neurological disability symptoms of this condition .
However, riboflavin supplementation failed to improve the disability status of multiple sclerosis in a clinical trial on 29 people.
Dosage Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin
The FDA has established the following recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of vitamin B2 :
- Infants of 0-6 months: 0.3 mg
- Similarly for Infants of 7-12 months: 0.4 mg
- Children of 1-3 years: 0.5 mg
- Additionally for Children of 4-8 years: 0.6 mg
- Young ones of 9-13 years: 0.9 mg
- Males of 14 years or older: 1.3 mg
- Girls of 14-18 years: 1 mg
- Women over 18 years: 1.1 mg
- Pregnant women: 1.4 mg
- Finally Breastfeeding women: 1.6 mg
Vitamin B2 Deficiency
Generally Vitamin B2 deficiency is extremely rare in healthy, non-malnourished people. However Large studies found it affected 0% of children aged 2-8 years old, 5% of girls aged 14-18, and 2% of adults.
In the same vein Classical signs of vitamin B2 deficiency include :
- Firstly Anemia
- Secondly Cracks on the lips and at the corners of the mouth
- Thirdly Inflammation of the mouth lining
- Mouth ulcers
- Red lips
- Sore throat
- Dry skin
- Eczema on the scrotum
- Fluid in the mucous membranes
- Finally Hypersensitive, watery, and itchy eyes
Side Effects Vitamin B2 Pills Riboflavin
Finally Riboflavin is likely safe when taken with food or at normal supplement doses. In some people, it can cause the urine to turn yellow-orange in color. In conclusion When taken in high amounts it may cause diarrhea and increased urine .
