Vitamin B2

It can be hard to keep all of the B vitamins straight in your head. There are many vitamins in the B complex that work together in the body. Vitamin B2 is one of the water soluble vitamins that are involved with the B complex, and they work together to process calories from carbohydrates and convert them to energy. Vitamin B2 is also called riboflavin and is one of the most common vitamins found in the body. Vitamin B2 is also responsible for aiding in the release of protein and fat from food and into energy for the body.

The B complex vitamins play an important role in maintaining the health of the nervous system, as well as acting as an antioxidant and promoting healthy skin, hair, eyes and mouth.

Vitamin B2 functions as an important part of blood aiding in the production of red blood cells, which is how oxygen is transported throughout the circulatory system in the body. Vitamin B2 is also necessary to process amino acids and fats in the body and is needed to activate the vitamin B6 as well as folic acid.

Vitamin B2 has also been used to treat migraine headaches in many patients as well as anemia. There are benefits to using vitamin B2 for the treatment of canker sores, cataracts and Parkinson’s disease. Vitamin B2 is also crucial to the regulation of the thyroid gland which makes it important for the normal growth and development of the body.

You can find vitamin B2 or riboflavin in organ meats such as liver, kidney and heart. Other excellent sources are milk, yeast, cheese, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables and oily fish. You can find flours and cereals that are fortified with riboflavin as well. Vitamin B2 is light sensitive so it is important to protect your food from light sources in order to preserve the vitamin in the food.

If you are deficient in vitamin B2 you will experience symptoms of poor growth, slowed wound healing, and skin problems such as dry and flaky skin. There also may be eye problems such as watery bloodshot eyes, chapped lips and a sore tongue.

You may experience a vitamin B2 deficiency if you are an alcoholic or if you suffer from cataracts or have chronic fatigue syndrome. If you choose to supplement with vitamin B2, the amount that is found in a multivitamin is an adequate amount for most people.