What is Riboflavin?: A Requirement For LifeWhat is Riboflavin?
Riboflavin (a.k.a. vitamin B2) is an integral piece to a few essential coenzymes required for life to continue. These coenzymes are called flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and Flavin dinucleotide (FAD); they're used for many oxidation/reduction reactions throughout the body, most importantly involved in carbohydrate and fat metabolism. In short, you need it for energy! Who Might Benefit from Riboflavin Supplements? • Diabetics • Alcoholics • Smokers (benefit from increased glutathione (GSH) activity) • Vegetarians or individuals on a very low calorie diet (tisk-tisk) • Those under more stress than normal (mentally and physically) • Women on birth control • Individuals with migraine headaches Just as a side note, riboflavin is destroyed by fluorescent lights, even when it's inside your body (such as in your skin). For example, doctors must supplement newborn infants with riboflavin when they're placed under fluorescent lights in the ICU. This is a method of treatment used to treat neonatal jaundice, a condition in which a deficient enzyme (G6P Dehydrogenase) results in a build up of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is broken down by fluorescent light, but the light also breaks down riboflavin! Recommended Daily Allowance The recommended intake of vitamin B2 varies with gender, body type and age, but I’ll lay out a few generals in a table…
It’s not necessary to go out of your way to get more riboflavin, simply because you get plenty in the diet. Speaking of which, let’s look at some foods sources of riboflavin…
Based on this table, it’s easy to see that vegetarians may have a hard time getting enough riboflavin. It might be necessary to take a multivitamin in this case. Return from What is Riboflavin to the Nutrition Guide Return from What is Riboflavin to the Smart Strength Training Homepage
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