Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin Benefits, Deficiency and Sources - By: Dr John Anne, Posted on: 2006-12-16

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) is a member of the B-group vitamins. It has a fundamental role in cellular oxidation. It is a co-factor in a number of enzymes involved with energy metabolism.

Sources: Its richest natural sources are milk, eggs, liver, kidney and green leafy vegetables. Meat and fish contain small amounts. Cereals (whether whole or milled) and pulses are relatively poor sources but because of the bulk in which they are consumed, the contribute much of the riboflavin to Indian diets. Germination increases the riboflavin content of pulses and cereals.

Requirement: There are no real body stores of riboflavin. Daily requirement is 0.6 per 1000 kcal of energy intake.

Deficiency: Deficiency of riboflavin or ariboflavinonis is widespread in India particularly in populations where rice is the staple. The most common lesion associated with riboflavin deficiency is angular stomatitis, which occurs frequently is malnourished children and its prevalence is used as an index of the state of nutrition of groups of children.

Studies conducted at National Institute of Nutrition in India showed that sub clinical riboflavin deficiency (as judged by the erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation test) was present in over 80 percent of low-income group children and adults. Hypo-riboflavin sis, even when severe, seldom incapacitates the individual, but it may have subtle functional effects such as impaired neuromotor function, wound healing and par haps increased susceptibility to cataract. Riboflavin deficiency almost always occurs in association with deficiencies of other B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine; it is usually a part of a multiple deficiency syndrome.

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