Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)

World's Healthiest Foods rich in

vitamin B2
Food

Cals

DRI/DV

Soybeans

298

38%

Spinach

41

32%

Beet Greens

39

32%

Tempeh

222

31%

Yogurt

149

27%

Mushrooms, Crimini

16

27%

Eggs

78

20%

Asparagus

40

19%

Almonds

132

18%

Turkey

167

18%

Basic Description
Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin,
is arguably the only vitamin that gives
you a visual cue as to its passage
through your body. When there is a lot
of vitamin B2 in the diet (or in a
supplement), your urine turns bright
yellow to show you it is there. In fact,
the flavin in riboflavin comes from
flavus, the Latin word for yellow.

Vitamin B2, like the other B vitamins, is involved in energy

metabolism. It has also recently been found to affect the metabolism
of iron in important ways.
The World's Healthiest Foods are generally very rich in vitamin B2.
In fact, well over half of the foods profiled on our site contain at least
5% of the Dietary Recommended Intake (DRI) for vitamin B2. We
rate five of our foods as excellent sources of vitamin B2. Another 12
foods rate as very good sources, while 21 rate as good sources.

Role in Health Support

Promotes Energy Production
Like all the B vitamins, vitamin B2 plays a key role in energy
production. Its role here is complicatedit is important both for the
energy-producing electron transport chain and the metabolism of fat
molecules into chemically useful energy. Additionally, vitamin B2

plays a role in the chemistry of other nutrients involved in energy

production, including folate and vitamin B6.

Offers Antioxidant Protection

Vitamin B2 is one of many nutrients required to recycle glutathione,
which is one of the most important antioxidants in the human body.
(From a chemical standpoint, what B2 does is facilitate the
conversion of oxidized glutathione into reduced glutathione.)
We believe that the best protection against free radicals comes from
foods that are rich in many different antioxidants. Examples of good
vitamin B2 sources that would fit this description include spinach,
beet greens, and broccoli, among others.

Promotes Iron Metabolism

Marginal vitamin B2 status has been found to impair the ability to
make red blood cells, leading to a condition called anemia. There is
some debate about how this occurs, with some scientists believing
that vitamin B2 is necessary to mobilize iron from storage to
incorporate into cells, and others believing that vitamin B2
deficiency impairs iron absorption.
We believe that both of these could be true and recommend making
sure your diet contains rich sources of all the nutrients necessary for
blood cell production. Here are a couple of examples of recipesour
Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Mustard Sauce and 10-Minute
Rosemary Lamb Chopssthat are rich in both iron and vitamin B2.

Summary of Food Sources

People eating a standard Western diet receive about one-quarter to
one-third of their dietary vitamin B2 from milk and other dairy
products. If you look at the chart below, you'll see milk and yogurt
represented as good sources of vitamin B2. To this day, dairy is
probably the best publicized source of this nutrient.

We would encourage you, though, to explore other sources of

vitamin B2. For example, crimini mushrooms are an excellent source
of vitamin B2, and many leafy green vegetables also end up as good
to excellent sources, as well.
In terms of food groups, we see almost all of them containing foods
that are contributors to vitamin B2 nutrition. Many non-dairy animal
foodsincluding turkey, sardines, and eggsend up in the top third
of our B2-rich foods. Legumesand particularly soy foodsare also
well represented.
Many types of vegetables are rich in vitamin B2. In addition to leafy
greens, which are rich sources of a wide array of nutrients, we see
other Brassica vegetables (including broccoli, cauliflower, and
Brussels sprouts), peppers, root vegetables, and squash on the list of
vitamin B2-rich foods.
You can even get vitamin B2 in some natural sweeteners like maple
syrup , which contains about 6% of the RDA in just one teaspoon.
Our Ginger Yogurt with Fruit is quite rich in vitamin B2, providing
almost 40% of the RDA.
As an example of how easy it can be to build a daily meal plan that
meets your vitamin B2 needs, let's do it with three sample meals. For
breakfast, we'll choose Huevos Rancheros. For lunch, we'll whip up a
Healthy Chef's Salad with Walnuts and French Dressing. For dinner,
we'll choose the Healthy Chicken Caeser Salad. This gives you about
one and one-half times the RDA for vitamin B2.

Nutrient Rating Chart

Introduction to Nutrient Rating System Chart
In order to better help you identify foods that feature a high
concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a
Food Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the foods
that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart

shows the World's Healthiest Foods that are either an excellent, very
good, or good source of vitamin B2. Next to each food name, you'll
find the serving size we used to calculate the food's nutrient
composition, the calories contained in the serving, the amount of
vitamin B2 contained in one serving size of the food, the percent
Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density
that we calculated for this food and nutrient, and the rating we
established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we
adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for
Nutrition Labeling." Read more background information and details
of our rating system.
World's Healthiest Foods ranked as quality sources of
vitamin B2

Food
Spinach
Beet Greens
Mushrooms,
Crimini
Asparagus
Sea Vegetables
Eggs
Cow's milk
Collard Greens
Broccoli
Swiss Chard
Green Beans
Mushrooms,
Shiitake
Bok Choy
Turnip Greens

World's
Healthiest
Serving
Amount DRI/DV Nutrient Foods
Size Cals (mg)
(%) Density
Rating
1 cup 41.4 0.42
32
14.0
excellent
1 cup 38.9 0.42
32
15.0
excellent
1 cup

15.8

0.35

27

30.6

excellent

1 cup
1 TBS
1 each
4 oz
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup

39.6
10.8
77.5
74.4
62.7
54.6
35.0
43.8

0.25
0.14
0.26
0.21
0.20
0.19
0.15
0.12

19
11
20
16
15
15
12
9

8.7
17.9
4.6
3.9
4.4
4.8
5.9
3.8

excellent
excellent
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good

0.50 cup 40.6

0.12

4.1

very good

0.11
0.10

8
8

7.5
4.8

very good
very good

1 cup
1 cup

20.4
28.8

Kale
Mustard Greens
Bell Peppers
Soybeans
Tempeh
Yogurt
Almonds
Turkey
Green Peas

1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
4 oz
1 cup
0.25 cup
4 oz
1 cup
1
Sweet Potato
medium
Sardines
3.20 oz
Tuna
4 oz
Winter Squash
1 cup
Brussels Sprouts
1 cup
Grapes
1 cup
Cabbage
1 cup
Carrots
1 cup
Summer Squash
1 cup
Romaine Lettuce 2 cups
Cauliflower
1 cup
Celery
1 cup
Chili Peppers
2 tsp
Miso
1 TBS
World's Healthiest
Foods Rating
excellent
very good
good

36.4
36.4
28.5
297.6
222.3
149.4
132.2
166.7
115.7

0.09
0.09
0.08
0.49
0.40
0.35
0.23
0.23
0.21

7
7
6
38
31
27
18
18
16

3.4
3.4
3.9
2.3
2.5
3.2
2.4
1.9
2.5

very good
very good
very good
good
good
good
good
good
good

180.0 0.21

16

1.6

good

188.7
147.4
75.8
56.2
104.2
43.5
50.0
36.0
16.0
28.5
16.2
15.2
34.2

16
12
11
9
8
7
5
5
5
5
5
4
3

1.5
1.5
2.6
3.0
1.5
2.9
1.9
2.7
5.2
2.9
5.1
4.5
1.6

good
good
good
good
good
good
good
good
good
good
good
good
good

0.21
0.16
0.14
0.12
0.11
0.09
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.04

Rule
DRI/DV>=75% OR
Density>=7.6 AND DRI/DV>=10%
DRI/DV>=50% OR
Density>=3.4 AND DRI/DV>=5%
DRI/DV>=25% OR
Density>=1.5 AND DRI/DV>=2.5%

Impact of Cooking, Storage and Processing

Arguably, the biggest impact on vitamin B2 nutrition in the food

processing chain is due to damage from exposure to light. In fact,
one of the reasons your milk is likely to come in a paper carton is to
reduce the light damage to the vitamin B2 content.
As light damages the vitamin B2, it produces an off-flavor that
makes it taste less fresh. It doesn't take much of this effect to become
noticeable. A 10% change occurs over a few days in glass exposed to
light and studies show that milk drinkers can taste the difference.
Luckily, the dairy industry has developed methodology throughout
the packaging and delivery chain to reduce this problem. You can
help retain the most vitamin B2 in your dairy products by purchasing
it in opaque containers whenever it will be exposed to light. It's also
important to note here that the B2 in cheese, yogurt, and other dairy
foods is equally susceptible to damage from light, and those foods
need opaque storage containers as well.
Vitamin B2 is surprisingly stable to heat and refrigeration. One
recent research group found a negligible loss of vitamin B2 over
three days of refrigeration.
Historically, vitamin B2 was believed to be the heat stable fraction of
vitamin B. That said, there is some loss of vitamin B2 with
prolonged cooking techniques. For example, in one research study,
milk boiled for 15 minutes loses 27% of its initial vitamin B2
content.
Like most of the other B vitamins, processing of grains from whole
to refined robs them of much of the vitamin B2 content. For
example, 60% extraction flour, (the kind most commonly used in
ordinary white bread, where 40% of the whole grain is lost during
processing), contains only one-fifth of the vitamin B2 content of
whole unprocessed wheat. The majority of states in the U.S. require
"enrichment" of these highly processed flours with B2 (as well as B1,
B3, folic acid, and iron). And manufacturers in all states generally

comply with the Food and Drug Administration's voluntary guideline

for enrichment of processed flour, which has been around since the
1940's.
In short, then, the best way to ensure good vitamin B2 content of
foods is to eat them fresh, keep them (dairy in particular) from
prolonged exposure to light, and keep cooking times brief. Following
the meal plans on our site you'll be encouraged to do all three.

Risk of Dietary Deficiency

The risk of deficiency of vitamin B2 in the United States is not
very high. It appears that only about 2% of American adults fail to
reach the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for vitamin B2.
There is an emerging concern about vitamin B2 intake in
adolescents, especially adolescent girls. This is the combined result
of a reduced intake of dairy products and a well-known aversion to
fruits and vegetables in this age group.
We believe that the amount of fresh and varied foods in the
World's Healthiest Foods recipe library should ensure that you do not
become deficient in vitamin B2.
It is really not difficult to build a diet rich in vitamin B2 using the
World's Healthiest Foods. A serving of a soy foodfor example,
whole soybeans or tempehgets you a quarter of the way there.
Adding another high-vitamin B2 food such as spinach or yogurt will
get you over half a day's supply. From here, a smattering from any of
a number of good vitamin B2 sourcesand there are many to choose
fromshould get you to your target.

Other Circumstances that Might

Contribute to Deficiency
As noted above, the risk of vitamin B2 deficiency is not very high
and usually requires some special circumstances. Aggressive
medication protocols for cancer and AIDS have been reported to
cause vitamin B2 deficiency. Vitamin B2 deficiency has also been

noted in some indigenous populations that eat diets devoid of plant

foods.

Relationship with Other Nutrients

Vitamin B2 deficiency can impair blood cell production. Although
there is some debate about how this happens, it appears that vitamin
B2 is necessary to incorporate dietary iron into the forming red blood
cell. It has also been hypothesized that deficient vitamin B2 stores
impair the absorption of dietary iron.
However this interaction occurs, two separate research groups have
shown improvements in blood cell counts through restoring vitamin
B2 to the diet in people who had low levels of the vitamin.
As noted above, the stability of vitamin B2 in foods is questionable
during storage, particularly if the food is exposed to light.
Researchers have recently learned that having other antioxidants in
the food, particularly vitamin C, may help to spare the vitamin B2
content.
Vitamin B2 is necessary to convert vitamin B6 to its active form.
Hence, deficiency of vitamin B2 could potentially reduce your ability
to use vitamin B6, even when there is plenty in your diet.

Risk of Dietary Toxicity

There are to date no credible reports of toxicity from vitamin B2 that
we were able to find. The National Academy of Sciences, similarly
unable to demonstrate any health risk, chose not to establish a
Tolerable Upper Intake Limit (UL) for vitamin B2 intake.
Since research trials have used doses of supplemental vitamin B2
more than 20 times the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) without any
evidence for adverse effect, we believe it is highly unlikely that you
could eat too much vitamin B2 under any circumstance.

One warning, thoughvitamin B2 can tend to make the urine appear

very yellow. Diets rich in vitamin B2 may induce this effect. It is not
considered harmful, but it may appear unusual at first.

Disease Checklist

Iron deficiency anemia

Migraine headache
Congestive heart failure
High homocysteine
Cataract
Parkinson's disease
Hypertension

Public Health Recommendations

In 1998, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of
Sciences (NAS) established a set of Dietary Reference Intakes
(DRIs) for vitamin B2 that included Recommended Dietary Intakes
(RDAs) by age and gender. Note that the standards for infants under
one year of age are Adequate Intake (AI) standards. These are
summarized below.
0-6 months: 0.3 mg
6-12 months: 0.4 mg
1-3 years: 0.5 mg
4-8 years: 0.6 mg
9-13 years: 0.9 mg
14-18 years, female: 1.0 mg
14-18 years, male: 1.3 mg
19+ years, female: 1.1 mg
19+ years, male: 1.3 mg
Pregnant women: 1.4 mg
Lactating women: 1.6 mg
Given the lack of demonstrated toxicity of vitamin B2, the NAS
chose not to establish a Tolerable Upper Limit (UL) for vitamin B2
intake.

The Daily Value (DV) for vitamin B2 is 1.7 mg per 2000 calories.
This is the value that food labels use as a reference point.
As our WHFoods recommendation for daily intake of vitamin B2, we
chose the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) level for men 14 and older
of 1.3 milligrams. (This level is about 20% higher than the DRI for
women 19 and older of 1.1 milligrams, and we chose it to make sure
that both men and women would be covered by the guideline.)

References

Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference

intakes for thiamin, vitamin B2, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin
B12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline. Washington, DC:
National Academy Press; 1998;58-86.
Hall NK, Chapman TM, Kim HJ, et al. Antioxidant mechanisms of
Trolox and ascorbic acid on the oxidation of vitamin B2 in milk
under light. Food Chem 2010;118:534-9.
Jamieson JA, Kuhnlein HV. The paradox of anemia with high meat
intake: a review of the multifactorial etiology of anemia in the Inuit
of North America. Nutr Rev 2008;66:256-71.
Olsen JR, Ashoor SH. An assessment of light-induced off-flavors
in retail milk. J Dairy Sci 1987;70:1362-70.
Powers HK. Vitamin B2 (vitamin B2) and health. Am J Clin Nutr
2003;77:1352-60.
Powers HK, Hill MH, Mushtag S, et al. Correcting a marginal
vitamin B2 deficiency improves hematologic status in young
women in the United Kingdom (RIBOFEM). Am J Clin Nutr
2011;93:1274-84.
Ribeiro DO, Pinto DC, Lima LMTR, et al. Chemical stability study
of vitamins thiamine, vitamin B2, pyridoxine and ascorbic acid in
parenteral nutrition for neonatal use. Nutr J 2011;10:47
Tarar OM, Ali SA, Jamil K, et al. Study to evaluate the impact of
heat treatment on water soluble vitamins in milk. J Pak Med Assoc
2010;60:909-12.
Vinodkumar M, Rajagopalan S. Efficacy of fortification of school
meals with ferrous glycine phosphate and vitamin B2 against
anemia and angular stomatitis in children. Food Nutr Bull
2009;30:260-4.
Source: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=93