Riboflavin, also known as Vitamin B2, is a water-soluble nutrient that plays a very important role in maintaining proper health.

Vitamin B2 is going to work as a cofactor in the molecules FAD and FMN, which are required for cellular processes to take place. If you are deficient in this nutrient, you will not be able to fully utilize the fats, carbohydrates and protein you take in through your diet thus further health problems could result.

The primary food sources where you will find vitamin B2 include milk, cheese, leafy green vegetables, breakfast cereals, pasta, some sauces, liver, legumes (soybeans are a particularly good source), yeast and almonds.

It is also a non-toxic nutrient as when taken in large quantities the stomach will not be able to absorb it and you will just end up excreting it out in your urine. Additionally, large doses of this nutrient are often placed in multi-vitamin's, much more than is needed, and as a result, the color of the urine excreted will be bright yellow a few hours after the vitamin has been ingested.

Usually a deficiency of Riboflavin will occur either due to a very poor diet or else some problems with the absorption in the intestines. When this occurs you will get the symptoms of cracked, red lips, inflammation of the mouth and tongue, cracks in the corners of the mouth as well as a sore throat may develop.

One interesting thing about this nutrient is that there is growing research that suggests that individuals who suffer from migraine headaches can take it along with beta-blockers to help prevent or reduce the occurrence of this problem.