Your Nutrients

Vitamin B2 is a water-soluble vitamin needed to process amino acids and fats, activate vitamin B6 and folic acid, and help convert carbohydrates into the fuel the body runs on adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Under some conditions, vitamin B2 can act as an antioxidant.

Dairy products, eggs, and meat contain significant amounts of vitamin B2. Leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and enriched grains contain some vitamin B2.

Vitamin B2 deficiency can occur in alcoholics. Also, a deficiency may be more likely in people with cataracts or sickle cell anemia. In developing countries, vitamin B2 deficiency has been found to be a risk factor for the development of preeclampsia in pregnant women. People with chronic fatigue syndrome may be deficient in vitamin B2.

Anemia (if deficient) Migraine headaches Canker sores Cataracts High homocysteine (for people with a specific genetic makeup) Parkinson’s disease Preeclampsia Sickle cell anemia

At supplemental and dietary levels, vitamin B2 is nontoxic. Vitamin B2 works with vitamin B1, vitamin B3, and vitamin B6. For that reason, vitamin B2 is often taken as part of a B-complex supplement. Certain medicines may interact with vitamin B2. Refer to drug interactions for a list of those medicines.

The ideal level of intake is not known. The amounts found in many multivitamin supplements (20–25 mg) are more than adequate for most people.

When medical researchers use the term “lecithin,” they are referring to a purified substance called phosphatidyl choline (PC) that belongs to a special category of fat-soluble substances called phospholipids.

Choline, the major constituent of PC, is found in soybeans, liver, oatmeal, cabbage, and cauliflower. Soybeans, egg yolks, meat, and some vegetables contain PC. Lecithin (containing 10–20% PC) is added to many processed foods in small amounts for the purpose of maintaining texture consistency.

Although choline deficiencies have been artificially induced in people, little is known about human deficiency in the real world.

High homocysteine Liver cirrhosis Neural tube defects (prevention) Tardive dyskinesia Alzheimer’s disease Bipolar disorder Gallbladder attacks Hepatitis High cholesterol

With several grams of choline per day, some people will experience abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, or nausea. Supplementing choline in large amounts (over 1,000 mg per day) can lead to a fishy body odor. PC does not have this effect. Depression has been reported as a side effect in people taking large amounts of choline, such as 9 grams per day. The body uses both PC and pantothenic acid to form acetylcholine. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with Lecithin/Phosphatidylcholine/Choline.

Small amounts of choline are present in many B-complex and multivitamin supplements.