Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Top 5 Common Food Sources of Vitamin B2
Looking to get more vitamin B2 in your diet? Look no further! My team and I have crunched the numbers and did all the math to determine the top 5 common food sources of this vitamin, per serving. Getting enough riboflavin as part of a healthy balanced diet is important since a large collection of studies show that getting nutrients from dietary supplements or multivitamins doesn’t improve health outcomes compared to getting nutrients from foods! However, if you are planning to supplement it’s important to seek out medical advice from a health professional.
| Rank | Food | Nutrivore Score | Serving Size (Raw) | Vitamin B2 (mg/serving) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muscadine Grapes | 644 | 1 cup | 3.4 | 258 |
| 2 | Yeast Extract Spread | 2964 | 1 tbsp | 3.2 | 242 |
| 3 | Liver, Average1 | 4192 | 3.5 oz / 100 g | 2.4 | 186 |
| 4 | Kidney, Average2 | 2558 | 3.5 oz / 100 g | 2.3 | 174 |
| 5 | Giblets, Average3 | 1319 | 3.5 oz / 100 g | 1.1 | 83 |
2Kidney, average includes beef, lamb, and pork kidney.
3Giblets, average includes chicken and turkey giblets.
Want to know more about this important vitamin including what vitamin B2 does in the body, how much vitamin B2 we need, what happens if we have low vitamin B2 levels or if we get too much, and even more awesome vitamin B2 rich foods? Keep reading to learn all there is to know!
Learn What Foods Are the Best Sources of Every Nutrient
The Top 25 Foods for Every Nutrient
The Top 25 Foods for Every Nutrient e-book is a well-organized, easy-to-use guide to help you choose foods that fit your needs of 42 important nutrients while creating a balanced nutrient-dense diet.
Get two “Top 25” food lists for each nutrient, plus you’ll find RDA charts for everyone, informative visuals, fun facts, serving sizes and the 43 foods that are Nutrient Super Stars!
Buy now for instant digital access.
What Is Vitamin B2 and What Does It Do?
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is an essential vitamin needed to form two important coenzymes: flavin mononucleotide (FMN), and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). These coenzymes are then used by enzymes called flavoproteins, which carry out functions such as antibody production, the metabolism of other nutrients (folate, niacin, vitamin B6, and iron), growth and development, and the health of the hair, nails, and skin. Riboflavin also serves as a cofactor for enzymes used in the Krebs cycle, giving it a role in energy production.
Studies suggest that riboflavin could help protect against cardiovascular disease, particularly in people with impaired MTHFR activity: via its coenzyme role, it can reduce homocysteine levels and lower high blood pressure in these individuals. Some evidence suggests riboflavin could also help treat migraine headaches, protect against the formation of cataracts, and help prevent preeclampsia during pregnancy. Through its involvement in regulating MTHFR activity and folate metabolism, riboflavin may also have some cancer-protective effects, particularly against lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer.
Learn more about vitamin B2 here.
Vitamin B2 Deficiency
A 2011 study evaluated American’s usual nutrient intake including nutrients that are naturally-occurring in foods, from fortified and enriched foods, and from supplements. The results indicated that 9.6% of American adults usual diet falls short of the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for vitamin B2 intake.
Groups At Risk
Those at higher risk of vitamin B2 deficiency include:
- alcoholics,
- anorexic patients,
- individuals with hypothyroidism or adrenal insufficiency, and
- people with high physical activity levels (like athletes and laborers).
Learn more here.
Symptoms of Deficiency
Vitamin B2 deficiency, or ariboflavinosis, can cause various symptoms, including cracks or sores at the corners of the mouth, a red and inflamed tongue, sore throat, mouth and throat redness and swelling, normochromic normocytic anemia (low red blood cell count with normal cell size and hemoglobin), corneal blood vessel growth, and scaly, inflamed skin (seborrheic dermatitis). Prolonged deficiency may lead to nervous system and liver degeneration. During pregnancy, riboflavin deficiency significantly increases the risk of preeclampsia (up to five times higher), potentially progressing to eclampsia. In addition, deficiency during pregnancy can result in birth defects like limb deformities and congenital heart defects. Riboflavin insufficiency is also linked to increased oxidative stress and reduced xanthine oxidase activity, lowering uric acid levels in the blood.
Learn more here.
Problems From Too Much Vitamin B2
There’s no apparent toxicity even from longer-term high-dose supplementation of vitamin B2. Riboflavin from multivitamins or other dietary supplements is unlikely to cause side effects, due to riboflavin being a water-soluble vitamin (excess undergoes excretion rather than storage in the body). However, large amounts of riboflavin can cause urine to have an abnormally bright yellow color!
How Much Vitamin B2 Do We Need?
The following table summarizes the current recommended amounts of vitamin B2, based on age, gender, or situation, where it can be seen that riboflavin requirements increase during pregnancy and when breastfeeding.
It’s also important to note that vitamin B2 has some known interactions with other nutrients including iron, vitamin B3 (niacin), and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Learn more here.
| 0 – 6 months | |||||
| 6 months to < 12 months | |||||
| 1 yr – 3 yrs | |||||
| 4 yrs – 8 yrs | |||||
| 9 yrs – 13 yrs | |||||
| 14 yrs – 18 yrs | |||||
| 19 yrs – 50 yrs | |||||
| 51+ yrs | |||||
| Pregnant (14 – 18 yrs) | |||||
| Pregnant (19 – 30 yrs) | |||||
| Pregnant (31 – 50 yrs) | |||||
| Lactating (14 – 18 yrs) | |||||
| Lactating (19 – 30 yrs) | |||||
| Lactating (31 – 50 yrs) |
Nutrient Daily Values
Nutrition requirements and recommended nutrient intake for infants, children, adolescents, adults, mature adults, and pregnant and lactating individuals.
More Food Sources of Vitamin B2
Rich dietary sources of riboflavin include organ meat, mushrooms, leafy green vegetables, eggs, milk and other dairy products, almonds, yeast, legumes, and squash. Some foods, like breakfast cereals, are also fortified with riboflavin.
Best Food Sources of Vitamin B2
The following foods have high concentrations of riboflavin, containing at least 50% of the recommended dietary allowance per serving, making them our best food sources of this valuable B-vitamin!
Good Food Sources of Vitamin B2
The following foods are also excellent or good sources of this b-complex vitamin, containing at least 10% (and up to 50%) of the daily value per serving.
Top 5 Common Food Sources
If you’re looking for top 5 common food sources of other important nutrients check out these posts!
cITATIONS
Expand to see all scientific references for this article.
Bassett JK, Baglietto L, Hodge AM, Severi G, Hopper JL, English DR, Giles GG. Dietary intake of B vitamins and methionine and breast cancer risk. Cancer Causes Control. 2013 Aug;24(8):1555-63. doi: 10.1007/s10552-013-0232-y.
Boehnke C, Reuter U, Flach U, Schuh-Hofer S, Einhäupl KM, Arnold G. High-dose riboflavin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care centre. Eur J Neurol. 2004 Jul;11(7):475-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2004.00813.x.
Fulgoni VL 3rd, Keast DR, Bailey RL, Dwyer J. Foods, fortificants, and supplements: Where do Americans get their nutrients? J Nutr. 2011 Oct;141(10):1847-54. doi: 10.3945/jn.111.142257. Epub 2011 Aug 24. PMID: 21865568; PMCID: PMC3174857.
Gao S, Ding LH, Wang JW, Li CB, Wang ZY. Diet folate, DNA methylation and polymorphisms in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase in association with the susceptibility to gastric cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2013;14(1):299-302. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2013.14.1.299.
Hankinson SE, Stampfer MJ, Seddon JM, Colditz GA, Rosner B, Speizer FE, Willett WC. Nutrient intake and cataract extraction in women: a prospective study. BMJ. 1992 Aug 8;305(6849):335-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.305.6849.335.
He Y, Ye L, Shan B, Song G, Meng F, Wang S. Effect of riboflavin-fortified salt nutrition intervention on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a high incidence area, China. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2009 Oct-Dec;10(4):619-22.
Heese P, Linnebank M, Semmler A, Muschler MA, Heberlein A, Frieling H, Stoffel-Wagner B, Kornhuber J, Banger M, Bleich S, Hillemacher T. Alterations of homocysteine serum levels during alcohol withdrawal are influenced by folate and riboflavin: results from the German Investigation on Neurobiology in Alcoholism (GINA). Alcohol Alcohol. 2012 Sep-Oct;47(5):497-500. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/ags058.
Hoey L, McNulty H, Strain JJ. Studies of biomarker responses to intervention with riboflavin: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;89(6):1960S-1980S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27230B.
Hoffman MD, Valentino TR, Stuempfle KJ, Hassid BV. A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Riboflavin for Enhancement of Ultramarathon Recovery. Sports Med Open. 2017 Dec;3(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s40798-017-0081-4.
Institute of Medicine (US) Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes and its Panel on Folate, Other B Vitamins, and Choline. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1998.
Jacques PF, Bostom AG, Wilson PW, Rich S, Rosenberg IH, Selhub J. Determinants of plasma total homocysteine concentration in the Framingham Offspring cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Mar;73(3):613-21. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/73.3.613.
Jacques PF, Kalmbach R, Bagley PJ, Russo GT, Rogers G, Wilson PW, Rosenberg IH, Selhub J. The relationship between riboflavin and plasma total homocysteine in the Framingham Offspring cohort is influenced by folate status and the C677T transition in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene. J Nutr. 2002 Feb;132(2):283-8. doi: 10.1093/jn/132.2.283.
Jacques PF, Taylor A, Moeller S, Hankinson SE, Rogers G, Tung W, Ludovico J, Willett WC, Chylack LT Jr. Long-term nutrient intake and 5-year change in nuclear lens opacities. Arch Ophthalmol. 2005 Apr;123(4):517-26. doi: 10.1001/archopht.123.4.517.
Lee J, Oh KH, Park SK. Dietary Micronutrients and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Cohort Study with 12 Year Follow-Up. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 30;13(5):1517. doi: 10.3390/nu13051517.
Leske MC, Wu SY, Hyman L, Sperduto R, Underwood B, Chylack LT, Milton RC, Srivastava S, Ansari N. Biochemical factors in the lens opacities. Case-control study. The Lens Opacities Case-Control Study Group. Arch Ophthalmol. 1995 Sep;113(9):1113-9. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1995.01100090039020.
Liu XX, Wu PF, Liu YZ, Jiang YL, Wan MD, Xiao XW, Yang QJ, Jiao B, Liao XX, Wang JL, Liu SH, Zhang X, Shen L. Association Between Serum Vitamins and the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in Chinese Population. J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;85(2):829-836. doi: 10.3233/JAD-215104.
Löwik MR, van den Berg H, Kistemaker C, Brants HA, Brussaard JH. Interrelationships between riboflavin and vitamin B6 among elderly people (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1994;64(3):198-203.
Ma AG, Schouten EG, Zhang FZ, Kok FJ, Yang F, Jiang DC, Sun YY, Han XX. Retinol and riboflavin supplementation decreases the prevalence of anemia in Chinese pregnant women taking iron and folic Acid supplements. J Nutr. 2008 Oct;138(10):1946-50. doi: 10.1093/jn/138.10.1946.
Madigan SM, Tracey F, McNulty H, Eaton-Evans J, Coulter J, McCartney H, Strain JJ. Riboflavin and vitamin B-6 intakes and status and biochemical response to riboflavin supplementation in free-living elderly people. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Aug;68(2):389-95. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/68.2.389.
Maizels M, Blumenfeld A, Burchette R. A combination of riboflavin, magnesium, and feverfew for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized trial. Headache. 2004 Oct;44(9):885-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2004.04170.x.
Manning NJ, Allen EK, Kirk RJ, Sharrard MJ, Smith EJ. Riboflavin-responsive trimethylaminuria in a patient with homocystinuria on betaine therapy. JIMD Rep. 2012;5:71-5. doi: 10.1007/8904_2011_99.
Mares-Perlman JA, Brady WE, Klein BE, Klein R, Haus GJ, Palta M, Ritter LL, Shoff SM. Diet and nuclear lens opacities. Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Feb 15;141(4):322-34. doi: 10.1093/aje/141.4.322.
McCormick DB. Two interconnected B vitamins: riboflavin and pyridoxine. Physiol Rev. 1989 Oct;69(4):1170-98. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1989.69.4.1170.
McNulty H, Dowey le RC, Strain JJ, Dunne A, Ward M, Molloy AM, McAnena LB, Hughes JP, Hannon-Fletcher M, Scott JM. Riboflavin lowers homocysteine in individuals homozygous for the MTHFR 677C->T polymorphism. Circulation. 2006 Jan 3;113(1):74-80. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.580332.
Neugebauer J, Zanré Y, Wacker J. Riboflavin supplementation and preeclampsia. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2006 May;93(2):136-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2006.01.007.
Niu WQ, You YG, Qi Y. Strong association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T polymorphism with hypertension and hypertension-in-pregnancy in Chinese: a meta-analysis. J Hum Hypertens. 2012 Apr;26(4):259-67. doi: 10.1038/jhh.2011.11.
Piao W, Ju L, Fang H, Guo Q, Cai S, Xu X, Li S, Cheng X, Zhao L, Yu D. Intake of Vitamin A, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Vitamin C, and Niacin Among Children Aged 6-11 Years Old – China, 2016-2017. China CDC Wkly. 2021 Mar 12;3(11):237-241. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2021.067.
Porter K, Hoey L, Hughes CF, Ward M, McNulty H. Causes, Consequences and Public Health Implications of Low B-Vitamin Status in Ageing. Nutrients. 2016 Nov 16;8(11):725. doi: 10.3390/nu8110725.
Powers HJ, Hill MH, Mushtaq S, Dainty JR, Majsak-Newman G, Williams EA. Correcting a marginal riboflavin deficiency improves hematologic status in young women in the United Kingdom (RIBOFEM). Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jun;93(6):1274-84. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.008409.
Powers HJ, Weaver LT, Austin S, Beresford JK. A proposed intestinal mechanism for the effect of riboflavin deficiency on iron loss in the rat. Br J Nutr. 1993 Mar;69(2):553-61. doi: 10.1079/bjn19930055.
Powers HJ. Current knowledge concerning optimum nutritional status of riboflavin, niacin and pyridoxine. Proc Nutr Soc. 1999 May;58(2):435-40. doi: 10.1017/s0029665199000579.
Powers HJ. Riboflavin-iron interactions with particular emphasis on the gastrointestinal tract. Proc Nutr Soc. 1995 Jul;54(2):509-17. doi: 10.1079/pns19950019.
Qiao YL, Dawsey SM, Kamangar F, Fan JH, Abnet CC, Sun XD, Johnson LL, Gail MH, Dong ZW, Yu B, Mark SD, Taylor PR. Total and cancer mortality after supplementation with vitamins and minerals: follow-up of the Linxian General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009 Apr 1;101(7):507-18. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djp037.
Sándor PS, Afra J, Ambrosini A, Schoenen J. Prophylactic treatment of migraine with beta-blockers and riboflavin: differential effects on the intensity dependence of auditory evoked cortical potentials. Headache. 2000 Jan;40(1):30-5. doi: 10.1046/j.1526-4610.2000.00005.x.
Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts M. Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial. Neurology. 1998 Feb;50(2):466-70. doi: 10.1212/wnl.50.2.466.
Sherwood M, Goldman RD. Effectiveness of riboflavin in pediatric migraine prevention. Can Fam Physician. 2014 Mar;60(3):244-6.
Subramanian VS, Subramanya SB, Ghosal A, Said HM. Chronic alcohol feeding inhibits physiological and molecular parameters of intestinal and renal riboflavin transport. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2013 Sep;305(5):C539-46. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00089.2013.
Talebian A, Soltani B, Banafshe HR, Moosavi GA, Talebian M, Soltani S. Prophylactic effect of riboflavin on pediatric migraine: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Electron Physician. 2018 Feb 25;10(2):6279-6285. doi: 10.19082/6279.
Tao L, Liu K, Chen S, Yu H, An Y, Wang Y, Zhang X, Wang Y, Qin Z, Xiao R. Dietary Intake of Riboflavin and Unsaturated Fatty Acid Can Improve the Multi-Domain Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Elderly Populations: A 2-Year Prospective Cohort Study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2019 Aug 29;11:226. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00226.
Wacker J, Frühauf J, Schulz M, Chiwora FM, Volz J, Becker K. Riboflavin deficiency and preeclampsia. Obstet Gynecol. 2000 Jul;96(1):38-44. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(00)00847-4.
Wen YY, Yang SJ, Zhang JX, Chen XY. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genetic polymorphisms and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma susceptibility: a meta-analysis of case-control studies. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2013;14(1):21-5. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2013.14.1.21.
Wilson CP, McNulty H, Ward M, Strain JJ, Trouton TG, Hoeft BA, Weber P, Roos FF, Horigan G, McAnena L, Scott JM. Blood pressure in treated hypertensive individuals with the MTHFR 677TT genotype is responsive to intervention with riboflavin: findings of a targeted randomized trial. Hypertension. 2013 Jun;61(6):1302-8. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.01047.
Wilson CP, Ward M, McNulty H, Strain JJ, Trouton TG, Horigan G, Purvis J, Scott JM. Riboflavin offers a targeted strategy for managing hypertension in patients with the MTHFR 677TT genotype: a 4-y follow-up. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Mar;95(3):766-72. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.026245.
Zhou L. Association of vitamin B2 intake with cognitive performance in older adults: a cross-sectional study. J Transl Med. 2023 Nov 30;21(1):870. doi: 10.1186/s12967-023-04749-5.
Zschäbitz S, Cheng TY, Neuhouser ML, Zheng Y, Ray RM, Miller JW, Song X, Maneval DR, Beresford SA, Lane D, Shikany JM, Ulrich CM. B vitamin intakes and incidence of colorectal cancer: results from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Feb;97(2):332-43. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.034736.
Foods High in Vitamin B9 (Folate)
