Riboflavin

Riboflavin
Chemical structure of riboflavin
Clinical data
Trade namesMany
Other nameslactochrome, lactoflavin, vitamin G
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
License data
Routes of
administration		By mouth, intramuscular, intravenous
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
  • US: OTC / Rx-only
Pharmacokinetic data
Elimination half-life66 to 84 minutes
ExcretionUrine
Identifiers
  • 7,8-Dimethyl-10-[(2S,3S,4R)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydroxypentyl]benzo[g]pteridine-2,4-dione
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
E numberE101, E101(iii) (colours) Edit this at Wikidata
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.001.370 Edit this at Wikidata
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC17H20N4O6
Molar mass376.37 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • c12cc(C)c(C)cc1N=C3C(=O)NC(=O)N=C3N2C[C@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@H](O)CO
  • InChI=InChI=1S/C17H20N4O6/c1-7-3-9-10(4-8(7)2)21(5-11(23)14(25)12(24)6-22)15-13(18-9)16(26)20-17(27)19-15/h3-4,11-12,14,22-25H,5-6H2,1-2H3,(H,20,26,27)/t11-,12+,14-/m0/s1 checkY
  • Key:AUNGANRZJHBGPY-SCRDCRAPSA-N checkY

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is one of the B vitamins. The B and C vitamins are the vitamins that dissolve in water, making them water-soluble. The gut of a healthy person can easily take riboflavin from food and pass it on to the blood for the body to use. The body needs the B vitamins release energy from food. Riboflavin has helps keep the nervous system healthy.

When there is too much riboflavin in the body, the gut does not take up enough to make a person sick. However, an injection with too much riboflavin can cause toxicity. Vitamin B toxicity is called hypervitaminosis B. The kidneys take riboflavin out of the blood and put it in the urine to get it out of the body (excretion). If there is much riboflavin in the urine, the urine becomes bright and yellow. Supplements, or a meal with food containing riboflavin (like liver or egg whites) turns the urine yellow because these foods put so much riboflavin into the blood.

Use

Without riboflavin and the other B vitamins the human body cannot use fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Light can break down riboflavin molecules into other molecules that the body cannot use so it is important to keep food sources (such as milk and dairy products) out of the sun. The amount that adult (age 19-64) humans need is different for men and women, but the different is not large and sex is not an important factor.

Riboflavin cannot be stored by the body and is needed daily. Men need 1.3mg, and women need 1.1mg of riboflavin. A balanced diet usually contains enough riboflavin.

Deficiency

Riboflavin deficiency causes illness. Some food has added riboflavin, called fortification of the food (or fortified foods). Baby foods, breakfast cereals, pasta, sauces, fruit drinks, and foods like cheese that are made from milk are often fortified. To make Vitamin B2 for vitamin pills or to add to foods, industrial companies grow special yeasts, other fungi, or bacteria that make a lot of riboflavin.

Sources (diet)

Foods that have a lot of riboflavin include:

In some countries, yeast, breads, cereal and their products are fortified with riboflavin (called fortified foods). Yeast or flour that is fortified makes fortified bread. Fortified foods are a source of riboflavin.

Foods high in this B vitamin can lose their potency in the sun. Because riboflavin degrades in UV light (including sunlight), the sun affects the nutritional value of these foods, and riboflavin can degrade within 30 minutes of UV exposure.

Riboflavin supplements exist. 40mg or less a day of riboflavin is unlikely to cause harm. Riboflavin deficiency, which means that the diet does not provide enough of the vitamin, can have adverse effects.

References

  1. ↑ "Riboflavin". Drugs.com. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Northrop-Clewes CA, Thurnham DI (2012). "The discovery and characterization of riboflavin". Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism. 61 (3): 224–30. doi:10.1159/000343111. PMID 23183293. S2CID 7331172.
  3. ↑ "MeSH Browser". meshb.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Vitamins and minerals - B vitamins and folic acid". nhs.uk. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  5. 1 2 Unna, Klaus and Greslin, Joseph G. (1942). "Studies on the toxicity and pharmacology of riboflavin". J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 76 (1): 75–80. doi:10.1016/S0022-3565(25)10020-7.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Zempleni, J and Galloway, JR and McCormick, DB (1996). "Pharmacokinetics of orally and intravenously administered riboflavin in healthy humans". Am J Clin Nutr. 63 (1). The American Society for Nutrition: 54–66. doi:10.1093/ajcn/63.1.54. PMID 8604671.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. 1 2 Diakonis, Vasilios F.; Grentzelos, Michael A.; Tzatzarakis, Manolis N.; Kankaria, Vardhaman; Karavitaki, Alexandra; Karatapanis, Andreas E.; Tsatsakis, Aristidis M.; Kymionis, George D. (2012). "Riboflavin's time-dependent degradation rate induced by ultraviolet A irradiation". European Journal of Ophthalmology. 22 Suppl 7 (7_suppl): S51–56. doi:10.5301/ejo.5000114. ISSN 1724-6016. PMID 22267456.
  8. ↑ Stahmann KP, Revuelta JL and Seulberger H. (2000). "Three biotechnical processes using Ashbya gossypii, Candida famata, or Bacillus subtilis compete with chemical riboflavin production". Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 53 (5): 509–516. doi:10.1007/s002530051649. PMID 10855708. S2CID 2471994.
  9. ↑ Brody, Tom (1999). Nutritional Biochemistry. San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-134836-9.
  10. ↑ "Vitamins and minerals - B vitamins and folic acid". nhs.uk. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2026-04-09.

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