Vitamin B2 is water soluble, so cooking foods can cause it to be lost. vitamin B2 in for men aged 19 years and over is 1.3 milligrams per day, and for women, it is 1.1 milligram per day. During pregnancy, women should have 1.4 milligrams per day, and when breastfeeding, 1.6 milligrams per day. Vitamin B2 deficiency is a significant risk when diet is poor, because the human body excretes the vitamin continuously, so it is not stored. A person who has a B2 deficiency normally lacks other vitamins too.
There are two types of riboflavin deficiency:
Primary riboflavin deficiency happens when the person’s diet is poor in vitamin B2
Secondary riboflavin deficiency happens for another reason, maybe because the intestines cannot absorb the vitamin properly, or the body cannot use it, or because it is being excreted too rapidly
Riboflavin deficiency is also known as ariboflavinosis.
Signs and symptoms of deficiency include:
Angular cheilitis, or cracks at the corners of the mouth
Cracked lips
Dry skin
Inflammation of the lining of the mouth
Inflammation of the tongue
Mouth ulcers
Red lips