Vitamin Supplements

This is the second of the B vitamins. It was recognised as an important food factor soon after the discovery of thiamin, but it was not given its official name of riboflavin until 1937. The B vitamins presented problems for the scientists because many were found in similar foods, but they could not be isolated and separated. The first clue to their existence came when it was realised that thiamin was destroyed on heating but the extracts which had been used retained other curative properties. These heat resistant factors were not effective in curing the thiamin deficiency diseases but they did prevent other conditions. Riboflavin was particularly effective against types of dermatitis in laboratory animals.

These vitamin-like properties were found in extracts from eggs, liver and milk and all were found to belong to a group of chemicals known as the flavins. They were given the respective names ovoflavin, (egg-flavin), heptaflavin (liver-flavin) and lactoflavin (milk-flavin). Finally it was discovered that all these flavins were identical and that they were all used in two important coenzymes called flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. They both contained ribose, a form of sugar, so the name riboflavin was used to describe this group of flavins.

The two coenzymes play an important role in the respiration and energy production in all body tissues. Respiration, in its broadest sense, is not confined to the lungs, although this is the starting point where the oxygen from the air we breathe passes into the bloodstream. Once the oxygen has entered the blood and been transported to the tissues and cells another type of respiration begins. This is cellular respiration and occurs when the food we eat (which is also transported to the cells by the blood) is oxidised or ‘burned’ to produce the heat and energy needed throughout the body. This energy is accompanied by the production of water and carbon dioxide and the whole reaction is similar to the oxidation of coal to give heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide. The likeness ends here because the process in the body is far slower and more complex.

Heat is stored and conserved and used in very small units and riboflavin takes part in many of these reactions. In its active form it is found as part of the two coenzymes flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. These are usually abbreviated to FMN and FAD, and their principle function is to carry and transfer hydrogen atoms along the production line engaged in forming energy and water. This is, in a sense, a freewheeling system and energy can be stored along the way. Just as a bicycle dynamo will produce light when the wheels are turning, so the body can store up potential energy when oxidation is occurring efficiently. The energy is taken up and stored in ATP molecules (adenine triphosphate). These ATP units are like mini-batteries and can be used to do work as and when they are needed.

Riboflavin is found in cereals but it is more plentiful in dairy produce and meat. The vitamin is stable to heat, but it is water soluble and can be lost in the water used for boiling and cooking. It is also very easily destroyed by light, and the riboflavin content of milk drops very quickly when milk is left in a clear glass bottle in the sunshine for a few hours.

Symptoms produced by a deficiency of this vitamin are hard to define. A diet that is short of riboflavin is likely to be short of other vitamins, but soreness of the mouth and tongue can occur when a diet is low in B2. The recommended amount for health is 1.2 mg a day for adults and this will be supplied with a mixed diet of meat, vegetables and dairy produce.

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