What is Riboflavin Deficiency?
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is a type of vitamin that dissolves in water and can withstand heat. Your body uses this vitamin to turn fats, proteins, and carbs into glucose, which gives you energy. On top of that, riboflavin is also a crucial antioxidant that promotes a healthy immune system, skin, and hair. It does these things with the help of two helpers called coenzymes, known as flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD).
If you don’t have enough riboflavin in your system, your body can struggle to break down and use carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which are important nutrients. With a healthy digestive system, your body can take in most of the nutrients you eat, so getting plenty of riboflavin from your food is key.
An interesting feature of riboflavin is its yellow-green glowing color, which is why your urine may turn yellow – a sign your body is absorbing this vitamin. Also, riboflavin helps turn tryptophan into niacin, which in turn activates another vitamin called B6. There are some preventable health issues like anemia, cataracts, migraines, and thyroid dysfunction that can be managed with enough riboflavin.
To sum up, riboflavin plays a vital role in typical growth, breastfeeding, physical activity, and reproduction.
What Causes Riboflavin Deficiency?
Not having enough riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2) in your body can occur if you aren’t eating enough of the right foods or due to hormone imbalances. It’s also tied to a lack of other B vitamins. Riboflavin is found in foods like eggs, dairy items, meats, green vegetables, and grains.
One of the key roles of riboflavin in your body is to act as an antioxidant, working with a compound called glutathione in something called the glutathione redox cycle. This helps to remove harmful substances known as free radicals from your body and to clean toxins out of your liver. Too many free radicals can lead to various diseases.
If you’re lacking riboflavin, it could be due to conditions like chronic diarrhea, liver diseases, alcoholism, and if you’re undergoing a treatment called hemodialysis, which removes waste and excess fluid from your blood when your kidneys fail.
Risk Factors and Frequency for Riboflavin Deficiency
Riboflavin deficiency, while very rare in the United States, is more common in developing countries in Asia and Africa. Certain groups are more likely to lack sufficient riboflavin, including older adults, people who drink heavily, and women who use birth control pills, as this medication can affect the body’s ability to absorb riboflavin. Such deficiency can lead to several developmental issues like cleft lip and palate, slowed growth, and heart disease. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, individuals with Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome (BVVL), and people following a vegan diet also have an increased risk of suffering from a riboflavin deficiency.
- Riboflavin deficiency is rare in the United States but more common in developing countries in Asia and Africa.
- The deficiency is most likely to affect older adults, heavy drinkers, and women on birth control pills.
- Riboflavin deficiency can cause developmental issues such as cleft lip and palate, growth delay, and heart disease.
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with BVVL, and vegans are also at risk of riboflavin deficiency.
Signs and Symptoms of Riboflavin Deficiency
If you don’t get enough riboflavin (also known as Vitamin B2), you might experience various symptoms such as feeling tired, having a sore throat, blurred vision, and feeling down. Skin problems like cracks, itching, and inflammation, especially around the mouth, can also happen. Other symptoms include a swollen throat, liver problems, hair loss, and even difficulties in reproduction. Often, someone with a riboflavin deficiency might be lacking in other nutrients too. The good news is that most of these problems can be reversed by getting more riboflavin, unless there are permanent changes like cataracts.
- Fatigue
- Swollen throat
- Blurred vision
- Depression
- Skin issues (such as cracks, itching, and inflammation)
- Liver problems
- Hair loss
- Reproductive difficulties
- Possible overall nutrient deficiency
- Cataracts (in severe cases)
Testing for Riboflavin Deficiency
A therapeutic trial is a type of test used to confirm a riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2) deficiency by measuring how much riboflavin is passed out of the body in urine. If your body is getting adequate riboflavin, urine levels will rise when consuming riboflavin supplements. However, if the amount of riboflavin passed in the urine is less than 40 micrograms per day, this could indicate a potential riboflavin deficiency.
Another way to detect a riboflavin deficiency is by measuring a particular enzyme in red blood cells called erythrocyte glutathione reductase. Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body. If the activity level of this enzyme (expressed as a coefficient with another compound, FAD) is 1.4 or higher, it can also signal a riboflavin deficiency.
Treatment Options for Riboflavin Deficiency
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is a nutrient that our bodies need in small amounts every day. The recommended amount varies depending on a person’s age, gender, and condition. Male adults and teenagers (14-18 years old) should aim for 1.3 mg every day, while women should strive for 1.1 mg if they’re adults and 1.0 mg if they’re teenagers.
Women who are either pregnant or breastfeeding should increase their riboflavin intake to 1.4 mg and 1.6 mg respectively. As for younger children, the recommended amount of riboflavin is 0.3 mg for babies up to 6 months old, 0.4 mg for babies 7-12 months old, 0.5 mg for toddlers between the ages of 1 and 3, 0.6 mg for children aged between 4 and 8, and 0.9 mg for those aged between 9 to 13 years old.
If you’re taking riboflavin supplements, it’s helpful to take it with meals because you’ll absorb more of it this way. Riboflavin supplements come in tablet form, with different strengths available (25mg, 50mg, 100mg). However, if you cannot take it orally, you may have the option to get it through injections.
What else can Riboflavin Deficiency be?
These are some potential health issues that may need to be considered if you’re experiencing certain symptoms:
- Anemia (a condition where you lack enough healthy red blood cells)
- Cataracts (clouding of the normally clear lens of your eyes)
- Cleft lip and palate deformities (birth defects that affect the upper lip and roof of the mouth)
- Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
- Migraines (a type of severe headache)
- Malignancies (another term for cancer)
- Night blindness (difficulty seeing in low light)
- Peripheral neuropathy (weakness, numbness, and pain from nerve damage, usually in the hands and feet)
- Red, itchy eyes (could be a sign of allergies or other eye conditions)
