Role of Vitamin B2

What Vitamin B2 (or Riboflavin) Does For Your Health

The second B complex vitamin, B2, is also known as riboflavin. Vitamin B2 is a member of the group of 8 vitamins which make up the nutritional group known as the Vitamin B complex. These B vitamins are essential to the functioning of the body in almost every way, and they play very important roles in all the bodily systems.

Apart from their major influence on the physical health of the body, the Vitamin B complex is also essential to mental functioning, including cognition and the stability of emotional responses.

Vitamin B2 has many roles in human health and functioning. This vitamin is a key part of the fundamental workings of human blood. It assists in the production of red blood cells, the means by which oxygen, vital to every cell in the body, is transported through the circulatory system. It is also essential in the production of antibodies and the body’s absorption of iron.

Additionally, Vitamin B2 aids the digestive system by helping the body to make use of the energy potential in carbohydrates. It serves to protect the health of the mucus membranes, especially those that act within the digestive process to keep the foods consumed moving smoothly through the digestive tract. It is a cofactor, or partner, in the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, and certain proteins.

Because it plays a role in the regulation of the activity of the thyroid, Vitamin B2 is very important to normal growth and development; it is also key to the reproductive system. Vitamin B2 acts as a cofactor to Vitamin B6, which itself could not be active without the Vitamin B2 in the body. This co-operative action takes place in many processes, and also helps in making niacin useful to the body.

Vitamin B2 also has a role to play in adrenal gland function and tissue repair in the body, while helping to keep the skin, hair, fingernails and toenails healthy. Lastly, it is essential to good vision, and may play a role in the prevention of cataracts.