B2 vitamin for what. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - what foods contain it, why does the body need it

What foods have the most vitamin B2? Who discovered riboflavin and when is it used? How many mg does an adult need? How does it interact with other drugs and affect the formation of blood cells? How to understand that the body lacks this vitamin?

The content of the article:

Riboflavin is yellowish-orange needle-like crystals with a bitter taste. The biologically active form of riboflavin is called flavin adenine dinucleotide, which is synthesized in the human body in the liver, kidneys and some tissues. Another derivative is riboflavin-5-phosphoric acid, which can be found naturally in raw yeast.

Synonyms of riboflavin: ovoflavin, lactoflavin, hepatoflavin, uroflavin, verdoflavin, beflavin, betavitam, beflavit, flavitol, flavaxin, lactobene, vitaflavin, ribovin, Vitaplex B2. All names indicate the sources from which vitamin B2 was originally isolated - these are eggs, milk, plants, liver, urine.

Discovery of vitamin B2

This substance was first discovered by the scientist Bliss in 1879, and in 1932 it was identified as riboflavin (Vitamin B2).

The action of riboflavin

It improves the process of energy mechanisms, helps to burn sugar. In combination with phosphoric acid and proteins, in the presence of trace elements (for example, magnesium), it creates enzymes that are needed for transporting oxygen and metabolizing saccharides.

Riboflavin, together with folic acid, is involved in the formation of new blood cells in the bone marrow and, together with thiamine, helps to better absorb iron. Therefore, patients with anemia and pregnant women are prescribed iron supplements with folic acid and vitamin B2.

What factors reduce the content of riboflavin?

It is destroyed by underactive or overactive thyroid, as well as drugs, boric acid, and oral contraceptives.

All the characteristic properties of this substance must be taken into account when cooking. If you cook food in an open pan and drain the water, then the loss of vitamin will be great. It also breaks down when beef and vegetables are thawed for 14 hours in the light. To save the right amount vitamins, it is advisable to defrost foods in the oven, wrapped in aluminum foil, or put them directly in boiling water.

AT Food Industry it is used as food coloring(E101) or for enrichment of products.

Vitamin B2 Interaction

1. Riboflavin is exposed to sunlight, poorly soluble in water, ethanol, insoluble in acetone, diethyl ether, benzene, chloroform. Quickly "dies" in an alkaline and persists in an acidic environment.
2. Thyroidin enhances the conversion of vitamin B2 into its active coenzyme forms.
3. Used for psychosis and depression, chlorpromazine inhibits the conversion of riboflavin into a coenzyme form, and spironolactone blocks it.
4. Drugs capable of inhibiting riboflavin metabolism are imipramine, tricyclic antidepressants, and amitriptyline.
5. Boric acid can increase the loss (excretion) of vitamin B2, while in the treatment of boric acid poisoning, on the contrary, riboflavin is used.

Daily dose of vitamin B2

For women, it is 1.2 mg, for men - 1.6 mg. Pregnant women, as well as those who consume a lot of meat and protein products, need more (3 mg).

What foods contain vitamin B2?

You should know that:

• The softer the cottage cheese, the more whey it contains, and hence vitamin B2.
• Milk in a glass container loses more riboflavin in daylight (such as by a window).
• In a couple of hours, milk in transparent bottles can lose up to 50% of this vitamin.
• Part of the vitamin will be lost if vegetables are washed in a large volume of water, and this also happens during long storage (about 1% per day).

Consequences of deficiency (hypovitaminosis) and overdose of vitamin B2

• Weakness;
• Decreased appetite, weight loss;
• Headache, skin burning;
• Violation of twilight vision, pain in the eyes;
• angular stomatitis;
• Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the tongue and oral cavity;
• Seborrheic dermatitis of the labial folds and nose;
• Hair loss, skin dermatitis;
• Blepharitis, conjunctivitis;
• Slow mental reaction, growth retardation.

In today's article I will tell you about such a useful and necessary vitamin for a person as Vitamin B2, as well as its importance in our Everyday life. So…

Vitamin B2, or "Riboflavin" ( English Riboflavin) - one of the most important water-soluble vitamins, a coenzyme of many biochemical processes.

Other names for vitamin B2: lactoflavin, E101 (food additive).

Synonyms: ovoflavin, hepatoflavin, verdoflavin, uroflavin, beflavin, beflavit, betavitam, flavaxin, flavitol, lactobene, ribovin, vitaflavin, vitaplex B2. Most of these names refer to the source from which the vitamin was originally isolated, i.e. milk, eggs, liver, plants, urine.

Vitamin B2 is necessary for the formation of red blood cells, antibodies, for the regulation of growth and reproductive functions in the body. It is also essential for healthy skin, nails, hair growth, and overall health of the entire body, including thyroid function.

Riboflavin- collected in druze needle-like crystals of yellow-orange color, with a bitter aftertaste. Riboflavin is a derivative of the heterocyclic compound isoalloxazine linked to the polyhydric alcohol ribitol.

Vitamin B2 is poorly soluble in water (0.11 mg/ml at 27.5°C) and ethanol. Let's not dissolve in acetone, diethyl ether, chloroform, benzene. Riboflavin is stable in an acidic environment and rapidly decomposes in an alkaline environment and under the action of light.

Systematic name of riboflavin: 6,7-Dimethyl-9-(D-1-ribityl)-isoalloxazine.

Chemical formula of thiamine: C17H20N4O6.

Functions of Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 intensifies metabolic processes in the body, participating in the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Riboflavin is essential for the formation of red blood cells and antibodies, for cell respiration and growth. It facilitates the absorption of oxygen by the cells of the skin, nails and hair. It improves the condition of the organ of vision, taking, along with, participation in the processes of dark adaptation, reduces eye fatigue and plays an important role in preventing. Vitamin B2 has a positive effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. Riboflavin minimizes the negative effects of various toxins on the respiratory tract. In addition, vitamin B2 protects the skin from microbes, provides visual acuity, regenerates and restores body tissues. Riboflavin is necessary for the metabolism of tryptophan, which is converted in the body into.

One of the most valuable qualities of riboflavin is its ability to accelerate the conversion of pyridoxine - vitamin B6 - into its active form in the body.

Reserves of riboflavin in the body

Dietary flavins are released in the stomach under the influence of acids and then absorbed in the upper small intestine via a transport mechanism involving bile salts. In the cells of the intestinal mucosa, riboflavin is converted to the coenzyme form of flavin mononucleotide (FMN). In the transport system, it binds to plasma albumin and is transported to the liver, where it is converted to another coenzyme form, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), and binds to special proteins called flavin proteins.

Riboflavin enters tissues mainly in the form of FAD, but its concentration in tissues is not high and it is not stored there in large quantities. The liver, the main storage organ, contains about a third of the total riboflavin content in the body. The level of riboflavin in blood plasma reflects the amount of riboflavin received with food and is normally 30-40 μg / l. A significant concentration of riboflavin is found in retinal tissues, but its function there is unknown. Riboflavin is excreted mainly in the urine, which gives it a yellow color.

A small amount of riboflavin is also excreted along with sweat and bile. The riboflavin found in feces is mainly the result of intestinal bacteria. In women during breastfeeding, about 10% of the absorbed riboflavin is excreted into milk.

The need for riboflavin increases with elevated physical activity as well as when taking oral contraceptives.

A lack of riboflavin can also lead to malabsorption and weaken the thyroid gland.

Indications for the use of vitamin B2

- avitaminosis B2;
- Addison's disease;
- anemia;
- asthenia;
— ;
- hemeralopia;
- hypovitaminosis;
- malnutrition;
— ;
— ;
- long-term non-healing wounds and ulcers;
- iritis;
— ;
— ;
— ;
— ;
- redheads;
- leukemia;
- radiation sickness;
- people working with industrial poisons and salts of heavy metals;
- violation of the function of the gastrointestinal tract;
- circulatory failure;
- neurodermatitis;
— ;
— ;
— ;
— ;
— ;
- chronic and;
— ;
— ;
- corneal ulcer.

Natural

Vegetable: peanuts, cabbage, fresh peas, almonds, green beans, tomatoes, turnips, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, cereals (buckwheat and oatmeal), bread.

Animals: dairy and dairy products, meat, liver, kidneys, pressed cottage cheese, poultry, fish, cheese, eggs.

Synthesis in the body: Synthesized by some types of bacteria (microflora), incl. large intestine.

Chemical

- riboflavin;
- riboflavin mononucleotide;
- flavinate;
- benzoflavin;
- complivit;
- vitamin tablets,;
- revit.

The amount of vitamin B2 in some foods

You need to know!

Cottage cheese can be different: the softer it is, the more whey is left in it, the more it contains vitamin B2.

Milk in glassware exposed to daylight, such as by a window, loses most of its vitamin B2 content. In sunlight for 2 hours, milk in transparent bottles loses 50% of riboflavin.

When we boil peas and drain the water, there is no riboflavin left in the finished dish at all. Always cover the utensils in which food is cooked. Otherwise, many vitamins are oxidized. Do not throw away the water in which potatoes were boiled: it contains a lot of riboflavin and other B vitamins. Keep in mind that part of vitamin B2 is lost when vegetables are washed in large amounts of water, part is lost during storage, even in the refrigerator (about 1% per day ). This suggests that you do not need to soak vegetables for a long time and buy them in large quantities.

Important! As we already know, riboflavin is destroyed when exposed to daylight. Based on this, it is necessary to store products containing vitamin B2 in a dark place, and never leave it in the light. Also try to use such products in their natural form, without heat treatment, and if you have to cook, then do it quickly, under the lid. By the way, for cooking, with minimal loss of vitamins, you can use a double boiler.

Interaction of vitamin B2 with other substances

Antihypertensive drugs (angiotensin-converting enzyme blockers) increase the conversion of riboflavin to coenzyme forms.

Antipsychotics (large tranquilizers - chlorpromazine, propazine, tizercin, teralen, meterazine, fluorophenazine) inhibit the metabolism of riboflavin, in particular, chlorpromazine blocks the conversion of riboflavian into one of the coenzyme forms.

Peripheral vasodilators block the conversion of riboflavin to coenzyme forms.

Drugs that regulate thyroid function (thyreodin) enhance the conversion of riboflavin to its coenzyme forms.

Riboflavin promotes iron absorption, mobilization and storage.

Vitamin B2 also promotes absorption, and.

Vitamin B2 is needed for the normal functioning of the body's detoxification system, together with (nicotinic acid).

Separately, vitamin B2 is rarely spoken about, much more often they remember the whole group B, which includes 6 different vitamins and several vitamin-like substances.
However, vitamin B2, or riboflavin, deserves a separate word. He is an indispensable participant in the work of the nervous system, metabolism, neutralization of harmful compounds and the implementation of other important processes necessary for a full existence and occurring in all corners of our body.

A person receives vitamin B2 in the composition of food, and if it is insufficient in the diet or if there is an increased need for it, biologically active complexes with its content can be taken.

Liver 2.8-4.6 mg
Kidneys 3.5 mg
Yeast 2-4 mg
Almonds 0.8 mg
Cheese 0.6 mg
Cocoa 0.45 mg
Curd 0.3 mg
Dates 0.1 mg

What is vitamin B2?

Vitamin B2 is a water-soluble compound that belongs to a group of chemicals called flavins. Flavins are involved in various redox reactions that play a protective and constructive role in the body.

Foods rich in vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 can be obtained from plant and animal products. The richest of all is the liver and kidneys. To a lesser extent, riboflavin is present in yeast. From vegetable products, they are rich in vegetables, cereals, nuts.

Daily requirement for vitamin B2

In men, the need for this vitamin is about 1.6-1.8 mg, in women it is slightly less, 1.2-1.4 mg.

Among men, more vitamin B2 is required by those who are professionally or simply intensely involved in sports, and also consume an increased amount of protein foods in order to increase muscle growth. The additional presence of protein in the diet creates the need to increase the dosage of incoming vitamin B2.

In women, the presence of vitamin B2 in the diet should be increased if they are expecting a child or breastfeeding.

Persons of both sexes require a diet enriched with riboflavin if they often endure stress, suffer from anemia, diseases of the digestive system.

Absorption of vitamin B2 from food

Vitamin B2 is quite well absorbed from food, but it has some peculiarities. From vegetables, it is absorbed better if they are previously subjected to heat treatment.

Those who decide to start using vitamin B2 in the form of food additives, must remember: riboflavin is well absorbed when there is enough food in the gastrointestinal tract. If you take capsules and tablets on an empty stomach, the vitamin will be absorbed worse.

Similarly, if a person is on a strict diet and eats very little, this reduces the absorption of riboflavin.

The biological role of vitamin B2

In the body, the functions of vitamin B2 are as follows:

Participates in hematopoiesis, enhances the action and improves the absorption of vitamin B6 and iron, which also actively implement the formation of blood components
Contributes to the replenishment of the body's energy resources - the formation of ATP molecules
Supports the formation of a number of important hormones
Takes part in the work of the organ of vision, increases adaptation to darkness, protects against excessive solar radiation, improves vision
In pregnant women it contributes to the normal development of the embryo, in young children it contributes to the processes of growth and development
Responsible for the digestion of macronutrients, mainly coordinating the breakdown of large molecules into smaller ones before they are absorbed
Improves performance nervous system
A normal intake of vitamin B2 is necessary for good skin and hair condition.
Strengthens the immune system, promotes the production of protective antibodies in various diseases
Improves thyroid function
Improves gas exchange in tissues.

Signs of vitamin B2 deficiency

The lack of riboflavin and the need for supplemental vitamin B2 is fairly easy to identify just by looking at the person. First of all, with a deficiency of this vitamin, external changes appear:

There is peeling and cracks on the lips
Bugs form at the corners of the mouth
Possible redness of the tongue
Sometimes noticeable peeling of the skin and the formation of scales in the areas of natural folds on the face and head (near the nose, ears, etc.).

More serious disorders may appear, already associated not with appearance, but with health. It:

Cataract, ingrown vessels into the cornea, keratitis, etc.
Weakness, muscle pain
Anemia
Neuritis, neuropathy.

Signs of excess vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 accumulates to a limited extent in the muscles and liver, but it is believed that it is impossible to achieve hypervitaminosis. If the body has enough riboflavin, and its further intake is not required, then the doses of vitamin B2 taken are not absorbed.

Factors affecting the content of vitamin B2 in foods

An interesting fact: when cooking, when it is exposed to high temperatures for a long time, only a small part of vitamin B2 is subject to destruction. At the same time, when exposed to direct sunlight, riboflavin is destroyed. This means that there is enough vitamin B2 in cooked dishes, but it is better to avoid their long-term storage.

Why Vitamin B2 Deficiency Occurs

In a small amount, riboflavin is produced by the human intestinal microflora, so the prerequisites for its deficiency can be created in the presence of dysbacteriosis.

Full absorption of the substance is possible only with a healthy gastric or intestinal mucosa. Vitamin deficiency can occur with various diseases of the digestive system.

With an excessive presence of protein in the diet, the body actively consumes riboflavin. Therefore, if your diet contains a lot of protein, animal food, there is a risk of developing hypovitaminosis B2.

Vitamin deficiency develops with prolonged illnesses, they also deplete its internal reserves.
Finally, riboflavin deficiency occurs with the use of certain drugs, such as some psychotropic drugs and boric acid.

Vitamin B2: price and sale

If you decide to improve your health, you will definitely need to take vitamin B2. It can be obtained from food, and with a clear deficiency or for the prevention of hypovitaminosis, the vitamin is also recommended to be used as part of vitamin complexes.

In fact, we all know that the body needs vitamins. But not every person has information about what they are and what exactly they do in our body. So, vitamins are actually tiny organic substances. They are needed for the full accomplishment of a variety of processes, the production of enzymes and hormones. Such particles should mainly be ingested with food. Just such substances include vitamin B2. We will tell you why the body needs vitamin B2, and also in what food it is contained.

So, vitamin B2 is classified by doctors as riboflavin. This is extremely essential substance for our body, like almost all B vitamins.

Why does our body need vitamin B2??

This vitamin is considered the health vitamin. Its deficiency is quite difficult to recognize in time, but at the same time it can cause quite a lot of discomfort and even shorten life expectancy. Many experts refer to vitamin B2 as a skin vitamin. And those who want to have elastic, young, smooth and healthy skin should definitely saturate the diet with products that contain such a substance. In addition, the condition of the skin, which is completely natural, is directly related to the condition of all internal organs.

Vitamin B2 is necessary for our body for a full metabolism. Scientists say that it makes metabolic processes more intense, and takes an active part in the processing of proteins, as well as fats with carbohydrates.

Riboflavin is essential for making enough red blood cells. Therefore, its sufficient consumption has a positive effect on the blood formula. Another such vitamin is very necessary for the immune system for the full synthesis of antibodies.

Vitamin B2 is involved in the delivery of oxygen to all cells of our body. Such a substance allows the cells of the skin, hair, and nails to be saturated with a particularly significant amount of oxygen. In addition, riboflavin is used to regulate growth processes.

Sufficient intake of vitamin B2 has a positive effect on the functioning of the visual apparatus. Like the well-known vitamin A, riboflavin is necessary to maintain normal twilight vision. And yet such a substance effectively reduces eye fatigue and even helps to avoid the development of cataracts.

The systematic and sufficient intake of riboflavin in the body has a positive effect on the health of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. Such a vitamin is also necessary for other mucous membranes, so it shows the ability to reduce Negative influence all kinds of aggressive substances on the respiratory tract.

In addition, without riboflavin, it is impossible to fully assimilate tryptophan, which becomes niacin inside our body. And the most valuable quality of vitamin B2 is the ability to activate the transformation of pyridoxine (better known as vitamin B6) into the state of the active form.

On the initial stage the lack of riboflavin is manifested by rather unexpressed symptoms, but readers of "Popular about Health" should not leave them unattended. It is better to listen carefully to the body, so as not to disentangle more serious health problems later.

So, with a deficiency of vitamin B2, there is a slight decrease in appetite and even weight loss. The person may experience feelings of weakness. Another similar condition leads to the development of headaches, and to impaired twilight vision. In addition, a lack of riboflavin can be manifested by pain in the eyes. Quite often there is discomfort and even pain in the corners of the mouth, as well as on the lower lip.

If riboflavin deficiency becomes more pronounced, this leads to the formation of cracks and crusts in the corners of the mouth, as well as to inflammatory processes in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Severe deficiency causes seborrheic dermatitis of the nose and lip folds. A possible manifestation of such a pathological condition is skin lesions, various dermatitis and alopecia (hair loss), and digestive disorders are also possible. A severe lack of riboflavin leads to changes in the cornea, increased sensitivity to light, the development of conjunctivitis or blepharitis. There are also violations of night rest, dizziness and reaction disorders. Possible growth retardation.

Among other things, a deficiency of riboflavin leads to impaired absorption of iron, and to a weakening of the thyroid gland.

Vitamin B2 in products

It is believed that especially a lot of vitamin B2 is present in the composition of yeast (beer dried, baker's fresh and baker's dried). The sources of such a substance are different types meat - fatty pork and beef, as well as veal and lamb. A certain amount of riboflavin is found in milk and various dairy products. In addition, mackerel is especially rich in it. Vitamin B2 is found in oatmeal, buckwheat, almonds and flour. Some of this substance is found in chicken eggs, cocoa and dry legumes, as well as peanuts. In addition, spinach and potatoes can be considered a source of riboflavin.

In some cases, doctors insist on additional intake of vitamin B2, in addition to that received by the body from food. In this case, it can be purchased at a pharmacy and used as an additive to the main diet.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is called the beauty vitamin for a reason, especially for women. If you want to have elastic, young, smooth, healthy skin, you need to make sure that our diet contains foods rich in vitamin B2.

But not only beauty depends on the lack of vitamin B2 in the diet. Much more important is the state of vision and the brain, and hence the work of the entire nervous system, as well as the endocrine glands. Wounds on the skin or mucous membranes of the oral cavity are healed due to the growth of epithelial cells. This process can be accelerated by introducing vitamin B2 (riboflavin) into the diet. After the successful encouraging results of the use of vitamin B2 in animals for the treatment of cataracts, experiments on humans began. However, it turned out that riboflavin does not prevent cataracts, although it can delay its development. Other ingredients are also needed.

Lack of vitamin B2 in the body leads to poor eyesight, disorders of the nervous system, digestion, chronic colitis, gastritis, general weakness, various skin diseases, nervous breakdowns, depression, reduced resistance to disease. If your skin is not smooth and unhealthy, if you often have barley, herpes, boils, you should take foods rich in riboflavin and urgently change your diet by introducing foods rich in this vitamin into it.

Like vitamin B1, riboflavin helps to burn sugar, improves the functioning of energy mechanisms. In combination with proteins and phosphoric acid in the presence of trace elements such as magnesium, it creates the enzymes necessary for the metabolism of saccharides or for the transport of oxygen, and therefore for the respiration of every cell in our body. If you have wrinkles that radiate from the lips, especially above the upper lip, if there are cracks in the corners of the mouth, chapped lips, burning eyes, peeling skin on the nose, ears or forehead, if you have a purple tongue, oily hair, reddened eyelids - all of these can be symptoms of a lack of riboflavin. Similar phenomena occur with iron deficiency.

Riboflavin prolongs the life of red blood cells and, together with folic acid (vitamin B9), is involved in the process of creating new blood cells in the bone marrow. In addition, vitamin B2 helps absorb iron and, together with vitamin B1, helps maintain the level of this trace element in the blood. That is why anemia patients are advised to take iron supplements along with vitamin B2 and folic acid. This is especially true for pregnant women: doctors note that it is they who often have a lack of these substances. In this case, taking foods rich in vitamin B2, along with iron, can be a salvation for the mother and for the child. Doctors noticed that women who had enough vitamin B2 in their bodies produced healthy, well-developing offspring. Of course, because the mother's body contains enough B vitamins and especially vitamin B2, the child will not become an Einstein, doctors say, but these vitamins are absolutely necessary for proper brain development.

How much vitamin B2 does a person need?

AT guidelines MR 2.3.1.2432-08 on the norms of physiological needs for energy and nutrients for various groups of the population of the Russian Federation dated 12/18/2008 provides the following data:

Physiological need for Vitamin B2, mg per day:

The upper acceptable level of intake of Vitamin B2 has not been established.

How to meet the body's daily need for vitamin B2?

If you include sour milk and 50-100 g of cottage cheese or cheese in the diet, then you can practically satisfy daily requirement in vitamin B2. But at least 3 glasses of curdled milk or kefir are required per day, especially during hard physical work or sports, when the need for this substance increases. Except sour milk, cottage cheese and cheeses, a large amount of riboflavin contains leafy green vegetables, unrefined grains or bread from it, liver, kidneys and meat. By the way, the softer the cottage cheese, the more whey is left in it, which means that it contains more vitamin B2. Milk in a glass container in daylight, for example, by a window, loses 50% of riboflavin in 2 hours.

What factors reduce the level of vitamin B2 in our body?

First of all, medicines, as well as insufficient or increased function thyroid and other diseases. Riboflavin is destroyed by drugs used in psychiatry, oral contraceptives, boric acid, which is part of more than 400 household products (for example, in washing powders),

Riboflavin is well tolerated high temperature, but does not like light and is soluble in water. If food is cooked in open dishes, and the water is drained, its losses will be great. Vitamin B2 is destroyed by defrosting vegetables and beef meat for 14-15 hours in the light, but is stored in the refrigerator. Vitamin loss can be avoided by placing frozen foods directly in boiling water or defrosting in the oven by wrapping them in aluminum foil. Always cover the utensils in which food is cooked. Otherwise, many vitamins are oxidized. Keep in mind that part of vitamin B2 is lost when vegetables are washed in large amounts of water, and part is lost during storage, even in the refrigerator (about 1% per day). This suggests that you do not need to soak vegetables for a long time and buy them in large quantities.

Foods rich in vitamin B2, riboflavin