How we rate
“Strong” = several concordant meta-analyses or systematic reviews. “Moderate” = one synthesis, or several controlled trials. “Limited” = early trials only. The rating is about the quality of the studies, not about how useful the supplement is.
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
B vitamin. At a high dose (400 mg per day), it reduces migraines in adults; in children, trials are contradictory. In carriers of a common genetic variant, a small dose lowers blood pressure.
Benefits
- Adult migraine: in a meta-analysis of 9 trials (673 people), 400 mg per day for three months reduced the frequency, duration, number of migraine days and pain of attacks
- Blood pressure: in 91 hypertensive patients carrying the MTHFR 677TT genotype, 1.6 mg per day lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 5.6 mmHg
- Homocysteine: in 42 elderly people lacking riboflavin, 10 mg per day for four weeks lowered homocysteine
- Stress and sleep: combined with 100 mg of vitamin B1, 100 mg per day for four weeks reduced perceived stress and improved sleep in 43 people; nothing on anxiety
- Gut: 50 or 100 mg per day for two weeks increased butyrate production by the microbiota, without changing its diversity
Precautions
Reviews on migraine describe it as well tolerated, with no serious side effects reported, even at 400 mg per day. With folic acid: in 32 young men, riboflavin added to folic acid lowered homocysteine less than folic acid alone. Good to know also: in children, the two controlled trials against migraine find nothing. The effect on blood pressure has only been shown in carriers of the MTHFR 677TT genotype. On homocysteine, results are contradictory: nothing at 1.6 mg per day in 52 elderly people, nothing at 10 mg in healthy volunteers of the CC genotype. Six months at 10 mg per day did not reduce disability in multiple sclerosis, and in 113 adolescents, riboflavin did not improve physical fitness.
Recommended dosage
400 mg per day for three months against migraine; 1.6 to 10 mg per day in trials on blood pressure and homocysteine.
How to take it
- For whom: the clearest results concern the adult migraine sufferer, and the hypertensive carrier of the MTHFR 677TT genotype; other trials involve elderly people, healthy volunteers and patients (Crohn's, multiple sclerosis).
- Migraine: 400 mg per day for three months in the meta-analysis; the trial of 55 patients used the same dose.
- Migraine in children: 200 mg per day in 48 children and 50 mg per day in 42 children did not perform better than placebo. A review of 17 studies is more favorable, but it mixes riboflavin alone and mixtures.
- Blood pressure: 1.6 mg per day, a dose 250 times smaller than against migraine, in hypertensive patients carrying the MTHFR 677TT genotype.
- With magnesium and coenzyme Q10: in 130 adult migraine sufferers, this mixture reduced pain intensity; the drop in the frequency of attacks was only a trend.
- Timing and meals: no study in this sheet compares the timing of intake or taking it during a meal.
Did you know?
In hypertensive patients carrying a common genetic variant (MTHFR 677TT), 1.6 mg of riboflavin per day, a dose 250 times smaller than that tested against migraine, lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 5.6 mmHg.
What the studies say
This meta-analysis, based on 9 clinical trials (673 subjects), evaluated the impact of vitamin B2 supplementation on migraine. Supplementation with 400 mg/day of vitamin B2 for three months significantly reduced attack duration, frequency, migraine days, and pain score. These results suggest that vitamin B2 can be an effective treatment for migraine prophylaxis.
Chen YS, Lee HF, Tsai CH, Hsu YY, Fang CJ, Chen CJ, Hung YH, Hu FW. — Nutritional neuroscience (2022) — View the source study
Pairs well with
- Coenzyme Q10Tested together, with magnesium, in the same supplement in 130 adult migraine sufferers: less pain during attacks and a less burdensome disease; the decrease in attack frequency was only a trend.
- MagnesiumTested together, with coenzyme Q10, in the same supplement in 130 adult migraine sufferers: less pain during attacks and a less burdensome disease; the decrease in attack frequency was only a trend.
- IronTested together in 366 anaemic pregnant women: added to iron and folic acid, riboflavin and retinol increased haemoglobin and reduced anaemia more than iron and folic acid alone.
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more