Glossary: Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2

Also known as: Riboflavin

What is it?

Like THIAMIN, this VITAMIN helps the body metabolize CARBOHYDRATES. But it also aids in the metabolism of fats and proteins. In addition, it's essential to the proper function of three other B vitamins (B6, FOLIC ACID and NIACIN), to the making of red blood cells and maintenance of body tissues, especially those of the skin and eyes.

U.S. RDA FOR VITAMIN B2
babies: birth to 6 months 6 months to 1 year	0.4 mg per day 0.5 mg per day
children: 1 to 3 years 4 to 6 years 7 to 10 years	0.8 mg per day 1.1 mg per day 1.2 mg per day
men and boys: 11 to 14 years 15 to 18 years 19 to 50 years 51+ years	1.5 mg per day 1.8 mg per day 1.7 mg per day 1.4 mg per day
women and girls: 11 to 50 years 51+ years	1.3 mg per day 1.2 mg per day
pregnant women	1.6 mg per day
nursing mothers: first 6 months second 6 months	1.8 mg per day 1.7 mg per day

Deficiency Symptoms

Dry and scaly facial skin, cracks at the corners of the mouth, oral inflammation.

Precautions

Riboflavin is water soluble, so some of it will be lost in cooking. In alkaline solutions it's quickly destroyed by heat (a strong argument against adding a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water), but it is fairly stable if cooked in an acid medium or by dry heat. A greater danger is light. The sun's ultraviolet rays are particularly ruinous. In the old days when milk was delivered door-to-door, bottles left on a sunny stoop for two hours would have lost half their riboflavin. As with thiamin, milling removes much of the riboflavin in grains, but enrichment puts it back. Riboflavin is also lost when rice is polished, but here, alas, it is not replaced (all the more reason to eat brown rice).

Good Sources

Meats, liver, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, whole and enriched grains and such dark green vegetables as beet greens, spinach and broccoli.