Human body needs Vitamin B2 for  nutrient metabolisms like glucose, fats and proteins. It also acts as an antioxidant, it is important for skin, and hair health and immune system functioning, said Dr Stuti Sharma, MBBS, MD, Paediatrician.

Problems occurring due to deficiency of Vitamin B2
Dr Stuti Sharma, MBBS, MD, Paediatrician, shared that Vitamin B2 deficiency becomes a significant risk when diet is poor.

There are two types of riboflavin deficiencies:

• Primary riboflavin deficiency happens when the person’s diet is poor in vitamin B2
• Secondary riboflavin deficiency happens for other reasons, such as, maybe because the intestines cannot absorb the vitamin properly, or the body cannot use it, or because it is being excreted too rapidly.

Sources of Vitamin B2

Eggs, various green vegetables, milk, cheese, mushrooms, almonds, and meat are the good source of Vit B2. It is often added to baby foods, breakfast cereals, pastas, flour and bread as a food supplement.

How much Vit B2 do we need?

According to Oregon State University, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin B2 for men aged 19 years and above is 1.3 milligrams per day, for women, it is 1.1 milligram per day and pregnant women should have 1.4 milligrams per day, and when breastfeeding the quantity should be 1.6 milligrams per day.

Precautions

Riboflavin consumed orally has no reported toxicity. As per the reports of adverse effects, relate to animal studies or cell culture research involving either drugs with photo toxicity, intense exposure of lens tissue to ultraviolet light, or both in combination with high levels of riboflavin, there are no reports of adverse reactions that can be attributed to riboflavin consumed orally from foods or dietary supplements.