Benefits of Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Evidence-Based Benefits

• Migraine prevention — a landmark 1998 RCT by Schoenen et al. found riboflavin 400 mg/day reduced migraine frequency by 50% in 59% of patients vs 15% placebo, leading to its recommendation by the American Academy of Neurology
• Energy metabolism — as FMN and FAD, riboflavin participates in the electron transport chain, fatty acid oxidation, and the citric acid cycle, making it essential for ATP production
• Antioxidant defense — riboflavin is required for the glutathione reductase enzyme that regenerates glutathione, the body's master antioxidant; deficiency impairs oxidative stress defense
• B-vitamin metabolism — riboflavin is required to convert vitamin B6 to its active form (PLP) and to activate methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) for folate metabolism

What the Research Says

Riboflavin has strong evidence for migraine prophylaxis. The landmark RCT by Schoenen et al. (1998) demonstrated that 400 mg riboflavin daily reduced migraine attack frequency by 50% compared to placebo, with a responder rate of 59% vs 15%. This finding has been replicated and riboflavin is now recommended by the American Academy of Neurology and the Canadian Headache Society as a Level B evidence migraine preventive. A 2017 review by Thompson and Saluja confirmed its efficacy and noted its excellent safety profile compared to pharmaceutical prophylactics. The mechanism is thought to involve improved mitochondrial energy metabolism in neurons.

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