Riboflavin Health Benefits and Foods with Riboflavin

Riboflavin Health Benefits and Foods with Riboflavin
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Riboflavin Health Benefits

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a water soluble vitamin that works with other B vitamins to maintain body growth, help in the production of red blood cells, and aid the process of energy release from carbohydrates. It also helps maintain and heal skin, hair, and eyes.

Apart from helping with the energy release from carbohydrates, as has been mentioned earlier, It also helps lower homocysteine levels in your body. This in turn lowers the risk of degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, cancer and heart disease. In this informative article, you will find a list of foods with riboflavin.

Here’s the RDA (recommended daily allowance) for riboflavin issued by The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine.

Infants

up to six months old - 0.3 mg daily.

from 7 to 12 months old - 0.4 mg daily

Children

from 1 to 3 years old – 0.5 mg daily

from 4 to 8 years old – 0.6 mg daily

from 9 to 13 years old – 0.9 mg daily

Adolescents and Adults

males above 14 years old – 1.3 mg daily

females from 14 to 18 years old – 1.0 mg daily

females above 19 years old – 1.1 mg daily.

There is no need to worry about falling short of the RDA as long as one practices a balanced diet such as that prescribed by the food pyramid guide.

Riboflavin Deficiency

The symptoms of deficiency include cracks around lips, sore tongue or sore throat, the appearance of blood vessels in the white part of the eyes, or a burning sensation accompanied by itchiness in the eyes. Extreme sensitivity to bright lights and skin rashes of the moist and scaly type are also part of the symptoms.

Usually, riboflavin deficiency could be addressed by taking whole foods. Supplements should only be taken in special cases, as their riboflavin absorption rate stands at about 15 per cent. The elimination rate or riboflavin from the body is also high, and can be seen in the bright yellow color of the urine.

Food Sources of Riboflavin

Let’s take a look at the whole food sources of riboflavin according to serving and the riboflavin content in milligrams (mg)

  • cooked beef liver - 3 ounces - 1.71 mg
  • cooked mushrooms - 1 cup - 0.47 mg
  • raw, unpasteurized milk - 1 cup - 0.34 mg
  • raw mushrooms - 1 cup - 0.29 mg
  • cooked organic egg - 1 large - 0.27 mg
  • raw almonds - 1 ounce - 0.24 mg
  • cooked organic beef - 3 ounces - 0.19 mg
  • boiled or steamed broccoli - 1 cup - 0.18 mg
  • boiled or steamed spinach - 1 cup - 0.18 mg
  • roasted organic chicken - 3 ounces - 0.18 mg
  • boiled or steamed asparagus - 6 spears - 0.13 mg

Now that you know the best foods with riboflavin, why not try some today?

References

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002411.htm - riboflavin health benefits and riboflavin RDA

https://www.drbenkim.com/nutrient-riboflavin.htm[l](https://www.drbenkim.com/nutrient-riboflavin.html) - riboflavin deficiency and list of foods with riboflavin