What is Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)? Its history, sourse and dosage.

Six Principles of Physical, mental and Spiritual Health (PMSH)

Dr Shahid has summarized his six principles of health in a very simple form. Simplicity sometimes may not be politically correct. Well... What is wrong if you get the message and decide to live until 100 - 125 years and longer; without ever having to see any health care provider (MD,DO, DC, NP, PA, DP, DD, OD, etc); during all your long and healthy life? Moreover, you will live a life that is full of vigor, enthusiasm, happiness and contentment for 100-125 years and even longer.

What else can anyone ask for? Does it sound too good to be true?

Well… IT IS "too good" and IT IS "true".

Remember! Health is what "YOU" make of it. It is "YOUR" responsibility. Not your health care provider's.

Follow these six principles of Dr Shahid’s Preventive Health. Also known as "Preventive Healthy Life Style (PHLS)", and see the result for yourself. You be the judge. The best part of it is, "it won’t cost you a penny". It is all free. And

"YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO SEE ANY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE."

As they say,

"One ounce of prevention is better than two pounds of cure."

So here are the six principles of holistic preventive healthy life style.

The basis of these six principles (holistic prevention) is already discussed in previous blogs. Let us discuss these principles in detail.

The first principle of preventive health is a balanced diet. It consists of three parts:

1. Proteins, Fat & Carbohydrates in right proportion.
2. Vitamins, Minerals, fibers (VMF)
3. Water and Oxygen

We have completed an elaborate detail of the essential nutrients of balanced diet (Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates) in previous blogs.

We have also given a brief description of #2 Vitamins, Minerals, fibers (VMF)

Let us describe vitamins in little more detail.

Very few people know what vitamins are and what is their real function in human body.

A brief history of vitamins was given in last blog. let us start with vitamins one by one in detail.

Vitamins are classified as either water-soluble or fat soluble. In humans there are 13 vitamins: 4 fat-soluble (A, D, E and K) and 9 water-soluble (8 B vitamins and vitamin C).

A. Fat-soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the intestinal tract with the help of lipids (fats). Because they are more likely to accumulate in the body, they are more likely to lead to hypervitaminosis than are water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamin regulation is of of particular significance in cystic fibrosis. Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A ,D, E and K), have been discussed already.

Now we discuss the Water-soluble vitamins.

B. Water-soluble vitamins

Water-soluble vitamins dissolve easily in water, and in general, are readily excreted from the body, to the degree that urinary output is a strong predictor of vitamin consumption. Because they are not readily stored, consistent daily intake is important. Many types of water-soluble vitamins are synthesized by bacteria.

The B vitamins are eight water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism. Historically, the B vitamins were once thought to be a single vitamin, referred to as vitamin B (much like how people refer to vitamin C or vitamin D). Later research showed that they are chemically distinct vitamins that often coexist in the same foods. Supplements containing all eight are generally referred to as a vitamin B complex. Individual B vitamin supplements are referred to by the specific name of each vitamin (e.g. B1, B2, B3 etc ).

We discussed the Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) in last blog, now we continue with Riboflavin, Vitamin B2

Riboflavin, aka vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin is yellow or yellow-orange in color and in addition to being used as a food coloring, it is also used to fortify some foods. It is used in baby foods, breakfast cereals, pastas, sauces, processed cheese, fruit drinks, vitamin-enriched milk products and some energy drinks.

Riboflavin or vitamin B2 is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is the central component of the cofactors FAD and FMN, and is therefore required by all flavoproteins. As such, vitamin B2 is required for a wide variety of cellular processes. Like the other B vitamins, it plays a key role in energy metabolism, and is required for the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies, carbohydrates, and proteins.

The name "riboflavin" comes from "ribose", back bone of ribonucleic acid (RNA) which is related to deoxyribonucleic acid, as found in DNA (the basis of genetic transcription); and "flavin" (meaning yellow).

History

Vitamin B was originally considered to have two components, a heat-labile vitamin B1 and a heat-stable vitamin B2 (1). In the 1920s, vitamin B2 thought to be the factor necessary for preventing pellagra. In 1973, Paul Gyorgi in Heidelberg was investigating egg white injury in rats, the curative factor for this condition was called vitamin H. Since both pellagra and vitamin H deficiency were associated with dermatitis, Gyorgi decided to test the effect of vitamin B2 on vitamin H deficiency in rat. He enlisted the service of Wagner-Jauregg in Kuhan’s laboratory.

In 1933, Kuhn, Gyorgy, and Wagner found that thiamin-free extracts of yeast, liver, or rice bran prevented the growth failure of rats fed a thiamin supplemented diet. Further, they noted that a yellow-green fluorescence in each extract promoted rat growth, and that the intensity of fluorescence was proportional to the effect on growth. This observation enabled them to develop a rapid chemical and bioassay to isolate the factor from egg white in 1933, they called it Ovoflavin.

The same group then isolated the same preparation (a growth-promoting compound with yellow-green fluorescence) from whey using the same procedure (lactoflavin). In 1934 Kuhan’s group identified the structure of so-called flavin and synthesised vitamin B2.

Sources of vitamin B2

1. Yeast extract is considered to be exceptionally rich in vitamin B2,

2. Liver and kidney are also rich sources.

3. Wheat bran, meat, and cheese are important sources in diets containing these foods.

4. Cereals grains contain relatively low concentrations of flavins, but are important sources in those parts of the world where cereals constitute the staple diet.. The milling of cereals results in considerable loss (up to 60%) of vitamin B2, so white flour is enriched by addition of the vitamin. The enrichment of bread and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals contributes significantly to the dietary supply of vitamin B2.

Polished rice is not usually enriched, because the vitamin’s yellow color would make the rice visually unacceptable to the major rice-consumption populations. However, most of the flavins content of the whole brown rice is retained if the rice is steamed prior to milling. This process drives the flavins in the germ and aleurone layers into the endosperm. Free riboflavin is naturally present in foods along with protein-bound FMN and FAD.

5. Milk (Bovine milk) contains mainly free riboflavin, with a minor contribution from FMN and FAD. In whole milk, 14% of the flavins are bound noncovalently to specific proteins.

6. Egg white and egg yolk contain specialized riboflavin-binding proteins, which are required for storage of free riboflavin in the egg for use by the developing embryo. Therefore, egg is a good sourse of Vitamin B2.

7. Fruits and Vegetables. Riboflavin is found naturally in leafy green vegetables, asparagus, bananas, persimmons, okra, chard (is a leafy vegetable aka Spinach Beet),

8. Cottage cheese, yogurt, and fish, each of which contain at least 0.1 mg of the vitamin per 3-10.5 oz (85-300 g) serving.

9. Legumes such as mature soybeans and almonds are good sources of vitamin B2, but exposure to light destroys riboflavin.

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The latest (1998) RDA recommendation for vitamin B2 are similar to the 1989 RDA, which for adults, suggested a minimum intake of 1.2 mg for persons whose caloric intake may be > 2,000 Kcal. The current RDAs for Riboflavin for adult men and women are 1.3 mg/day and 1.1 mg/day, respectively; the estimated average requirement for adult men and women are 1.1 mg and 0.9 mg, respectively. Recommendations for daily riboflavin intake increase with pregnancy and lactation to 1.4 mg and 1.6 mg, respectively (1in advanced). For infants the RDA is 0.3-0.4 mg/day and for children it is 0.6-0.9 mg/day.

We shall continue with the Riboflavin deficiency (ariboflavinosis) next

For comment and questions please write to :

syedshahidmd@yahoo.com.au

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