Riboflavin

Victory Kim, Calvin Liang,

What is Riboflavin?

• Vitamin B• Easily absorbed Micronutrient

– Key role in maintaining health in humans

What is Riboflavin?

Function• Builds tissue• Releases energy from carbohydrates• Aids digestion• Helps the functioning of the nervous system• Prevents constipation• Promotes a healthy skin, nails and hair• Helps maintain good vision

Deficiency of Riboflavin• Urinary riboflavin excretion rates increase

slowly with increasing intakes..– BUT, if intake levels reach 1.0 mg/d (tissue

saturation), excretion levels skyrocket– Once intakes of 2.5 mg/d are reached,

excretion becomes approximately equal to the rate of absorption

– Water-soluble (must be replenished)

Deficiency Diseases• Ariboflavinosis – commonly seen in

protein-energy malnutrition, or alcoholism.– Common Cause: DIET– most commonly associated with dermatologic

conditions, such as the following:• Cheilosis, or chapping and fissuring of the lips,

as in the image below.• A sore, red tongue• Oily, scaly skin rashes on the scrotum, vulva

and philtrum

Deficiency Diseases *cont.*• Developing Anomolies:

– Cleft lip and palate deformities– Growth retardation in infants and children– Congenital heart defects

Toxicity• Riboflavin not toxic when taken orally

– Low Solubility

• Toxic doses can be administered by injection – Excess is excreted in the urine

• Imparts a very yellow color

• Can exceed excesses of 400 mg/d of riboflavin orally – no short-term side effects were reported.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)• Minimum intake of 1.2 mg for persons whose

caloric intake may be > 2,000 Kcal • Current RDAs for Riboflavin for adult men

and women are 1.3 mg/day and 1.1 mg/day, respectively – estimated average requirement for adult men

and women are 1.1 mg and 0.9 mg, respectively

• infants the RDA is 0.3-0.4 mg/day and for children it is 0.6-0.9 mg/day.

Food Sources• Riboflavin is yellow or yellow-orange in color

– Used in food coloring at times

• Used in baby foods, breakfast cereals, pastas, sauces, processed cheese, fruit drinks.

• Yeast extract is considered to be very rich in vitamin B2

• Wheat bran, eggs, meat, milk, and cheese are important sources in diets containing these foods.

• Milk and other dairy products • Fortification of every day food

Statistics• A deficiency in riboflavin alone has never

occurred in the natural environment. – Although poorer populations in the United

States have a higher rate of riboflavin deficiency, the affected individuals are also deficient in a number of other nutrients

• Riboflavin-deficient women were 4.7 times more likely to develop preeclampsia (increased blood pressure during pregnancy) though the mechanism for this is not known.

RESOURCES//BIBLIOGRAPHY• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-rib

oflavin.html• http://www.anyvitamins.com/vitamin-b2-riboflavin-info.htm• http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/nutrition/riboflavin/over

view.html• http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/125193-overview• http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/riboflavin/• http://www.hoptechno.com/book29h.htm• http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/8/Riboflavin-

deficiency.html#ixzz0a0YNrjWM• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1407763/