Riboflavin's Role in Nutritional Supplements: 8 Ways It Helps

When it comes to nutritional supplements, riboflavin’s role is significant. Riboflavin, or B2, is essential to energy production and maintaining healthy levels of iron in the blood.

Here are eight ways it helps:

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1. Energy boost. As one of the B vitamins, riboflavin plays a key role in maintaining optimal energy levels. B vitamins help the body to convert food into fuel for optimum energy production.

2. Team player. Riboflavin assists folate and other B vitamins as they convert into forms the body can use. Folate, along with vitamins B1, B3, and B6, also aids in energy production. Riboflavin also helps convert tryptophan into niacin, an essential amino acid, and assists the adrenal glands with hormone production.

3. Antioxidant protection. Eating riboflavin-rich foods like spinach, beet greens, and broccoli can help ward off free radicals. Free radicals can damage cells and DNA and are implicated in the development of heart disease and cancer.

4. Promotes iron metabolism. Like the other B vitamins, riboflavin has been found to affect the metabolism of iron. Research shows that low levels of riboflavin can impair the body’s ability to produce red blood cells, leading to iron deficiency, or anemia.

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5. Beauty booster. B vitamins are necessary for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver function, which can affect your skin tone. People with riboflavin deficiency are fatigued, have digestive problems, and cracks and sores around the mouth.

6. Healthy vision. Riboflavin is important for the eyes to function properly. Some research shows that riboflavin can aid in preventing cataracts, or damage to the lens of the eye.

7. Migraine relief? Some studies show that 400 milligrams of riboflavin a day are cutting migraine attacks in half. More research is needed, but the early evidence is that migraine sufferers may find relief by taking riboflavin supplements.

8. Digestive function. Riboflavin works with vitamin A to maintain mucuous membranes along the digestive tract, helping ensure waste travels smoothly through the body.

This article is for information only and is not intended as medical advice. Talk with your doctor about your specific health and medical needs.

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