Vitamin B2
Vitamin ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Essential for energy production, cellular function, and metabolism of fats, drugs, and steroids. Also important for maintaining healthy skin and eyes.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Vitamin B2 is a vitamin most often used for energy production, migraine prevention, eye health. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong. A typical adult dose is 25–400 mg daily (higher for migraines), commonly taken as riboflavin-5'-phosphate (active form) or riboflavin. This profile indexes 17 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating strong. Most-documented uses: energy production, migraine prevention, eye health. 17 sources indexed (1998–2025), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Precursor to flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), which serve as electron carriers in oxidation-reduction reactions in the electron transport chain and numerous metabolic pathways.16
Dosing & protocol.
Absorption peaks around 27mg per dose; split larger doses3,6
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Riboflavin / Riboflavin-5'-Phosphate.
Assumes 25-400 mg/day. Vendor basis: NOW/iHerb, Vitacost, Pure Encapsulations, and Amazon marketplace; migraine-level dosing and R-5-P forms cost more. Updated 2026-05-28.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Food can meet normal riboflavin needs; 100-400 mg therapeutic doses require supplements.
Full safety detail.
Side effects
- Bright yellow urine (harmless)
- Rare GI upset
Contraindications
- None significant
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews
7- 1Systematic Review Suggests Nutraceuticals Containing Vitamin B2 Could Provide an Alternative Treatment for Paediatric MigrainesPMIDMartello E, Aiyelabegan F, Orr J et al. · Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025
Martello E, Aiyelabegan F, Orr J et al.. Systematic Review Suggests Nutraceuticals Containing Vitamin B2 Could Provide an Alternative Treatment for Paediatric Migraines. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). 2025
- 2Riboflavin- and Hypericin-Mediated Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy as Alternative Treatments for Oral Candidiasis: A Systematic ReviewPMIDŁopaciński M, Fiegler-Rudol J, Niemczyk W et al. · Pharmaceutics · 2024
Łopaciński M, Fiegler-Rudol J, Niemczyk W et al.. Riboflavin- and Hypericin-Mediated Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy as Alternative Treatments for Oral Candidiasis: A Systematic Review. Pharmaceutics. 2024
- 3Effect of Vitamin B2 supplementation on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and meta-analysisPMIDYamanaka G et al. · J Clin Med · 2021
Vitamin B2 400 mg/day for three months significantly reduced migraine attack days, duration, frequency, and pain score; 9 articles, 673 subjects analyzed
- 4Dietary vitamin B2 intake and breast cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysisPMIDYu L, Tan Y, Zhu L · Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2017
Yu L, Tan Y, Zhu L. Dietary vitamin B2 intake and breast cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of gynecology and obstetrics. 2017
- 5Update on riboflavin and multiple sclerosis: a systematic reviewPMIDNaghashpour M, Jafarirad S, Amani R et al. · Iranian journal of basic medical sciences · 2017
Naghashpour M, Jafarirad S, Amani R et al.. Update on riboflavin and multiple sclerosis: a systematic review. Iranian journal of basic medical sciences. 2017
- 6High-dose riboflavin for migraine prophylaxis: a systematic reviewSource linkedPMIDThompson DF, Saluja HS · J Gen Intern Med · 2017
- 7Vitamin B2 intake and the risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studiesPMIDLiu Y, Yu QY, Zhu ZL et al. · Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2015
Liu Y, Yu QY, Zhu ZL et al.. Vitamin B2 intake and the risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP. 2015
Randomized controlled trials
3- 8Impact of Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B2 Supplementation on Anxiety, Stress, and Sleep Quality: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled TrialPMIDTao Y, Wu M, Su B et al. · Nutrients · 2025
Tao Y, Wu M, Su B et al.. Impact of Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B2 Supplementation on Anxiety, Stress, and Sleep Quality: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2025
- 9Improvement of migraine symptoms with a proprietary supplement containing riboflavin, magnesium and Q10: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trialPMIDGaul C, Diener HC, Danesch U et al. · The journal of headache and pain · 2015
Gaul C, Diener HC, Danesch U et al.. Improvement of migraine symptoms with a proprietary supplement containing riboflavin, magnesium and Q10: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial. The journal of headache and pain. 2015
- 10Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trialPMIDSchoenen J et al. · Neurology · 1998
High-dose riboflavin (400 mg/day) was effective in migraine prophylaxis with minimal side effects in a randomized controlled trial
Reviews & position papers
7- 11Nutraceuticals and Headache 2024: Riboflavin, Coenzyme Q10, Feverfew, Magnesium, Melatonin, and ButterburPMIDWells RE et al. · Headache · 2025
Updated review of evidence for nutraceuticals in headache management including riboflavin as a well-established migraine prophylactic agent
- 12Exploring the role of riboflavin in swine well-being: a literature reviewPMIDShastak Y, Pelletier W · Porcine health management · 2024
Shastak Y, Pelletier W. Exploring the role of riboflavin in swine well-being: a literature review. Porcine health management. 2024
- 13Medicinal benefits, biological, and nanoencapsulation functions of riboflavin with its toxicity profile: A narrative reviewPMIDLee TY, Farah N, Chin VK et al. · Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.) · 2023
Lee TY, Farah N, Chin VK et al.. Medicinal benefits, biological, and nanoencapsulation functions of riboflavin with its toxicity profile: A narrative review. Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.). 2023
- 14Biotechnological Potential and Safety Evaluation of Dextran- and Riboflavin-Producing Weisella cibaria Strains for Gluten-Free BakingPMIDRusso P, Diez-Ozaeta I, Mangieri N et al. · Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
Russo P, Diez-Ozaeta I, Mangieri N et al.. Biotechnological Potential and Safety Evaluation of Dextran- and Riboflavin-Producing Weisella cibaria Strains for Gluten-Free Baking. Foods (Basel, Switzerland). 2023
- 15Supplementation with Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) for Migraine Prophylaxis in Adults and Children: A ReviewPMIDThompson DF, Saluja HS · Ann Pharmacother · 2017
Riboflavin can play a positive role in reducing frequency and duration of migraine attacks in adults with no serious side effects; pediatric use not proven
- 16Prophylaxis of migraine headaches with riboflavin: A systematic reviewPMIDNamazi N et al. · J Clin Pharm Ther · 2015
Riboflavin is well tolerated, inexpensive, and has demonstrated efficacy in reduction of adult migraine headache frequency
- 17Riboflavin (vitamin B-2) and healthSource linkedPMIDPowers HJ · Am J Clin Nutr · 2003
Common questions.
Quick answers about Vitamin B2, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Vitamin B2?
Essential for energy production, cellular function, and metabolism of fats, drugs, and steroids. Also important for maintaining healthy skin and eyes.
What is Vitamin B2 used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Vitamin B2 include: Energy production; Migraine prevention; Eye health; Skin health. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong.
What is a typical dose of Vitamin B2?
A typical adult dose of Vitamin B2 is 25–400 mg daily (higher for migraines). The commonly recommended form is Riboflavin-5'-phosphate (active form) or riboflavin. These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Vitamin B2?
Reported side effects include bright yellow urine (harmless), rare gi upset. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Vitamin B2?
NutriStack rates this as Strong, meaning multiple high-quality meta-analyses or systematic reviews converge on the same finding. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
Vitamin B2 in NutriStack.
Add it to your stack, see how it interacts with everything else you take, and get a Stack Score that updates the moment it does.