Vitamins · 3 min read ·

Vitamin B2: small needs, large doses for migraine

Riboflavin helps enzymes release energy from food. A diet usually provides enough; in high doses it is tried for preventing migraine.

B2

In a nutshell

1What it does and how much you need

Riboflavin is part of the coenzymes FAD and FMN that enzymes use to produce energy and to convert other vitamins — niacin, vitamin B6 and folate. A deficiency causes a sore throat, cracked lips and mouth corners and an inflamed tongue.1

EFSA recommendation 1.6 mg EFSA recommends 1.6 mg of riboflavin a day for men and women, 1.9 mg in pregnancy and 2 mg when breastfeeding. Adults in Europe take in 1.4–2.2 mg a day on average.1

People who exercise a lot probably use more riboflavin; how much more has not yet been measured precisely.1

2Where to find it

Data 2.8 mg A hundred grams of beef liver contain 2.8 mg of riboflavin, whey protein 2 mg, almonds 1.1 mg, feta cheese 0.8 mg and eggs 0.5 mg.3

3Forms and absorption

EFSA recommendation 95% About 95% of riboflavin from food is absorbed, by a carrier with limited capacity. What the body does not use it hardly stores and excretes in the urine.1
Weak evidence — a small study 27 mg In a study of 9 volunteers given 20, 40 and 60 mg of riboflavin, at most about 27 mg was absorbed from a single dose.4

In the EU, supplements may contain riboflavin or riboflavin 5′-phosphate sodium.5 EFSA has not set an upper level for riboflavin — the data are not sufficient.2

4Migraine and blood pressure

Weak evidence — a small study 59% vs 15% In a randomised study of 55 people with migraine, patients took 400 mg of riboflavin a day or placebo for 3 months. The number of headache days fell by at least half in 59% of those on riboflavin and in 15% of those on placebo.6
Moderate evidence 9 studies A summary of 9 studies with 673 people: 400 mg of riboflavin a day for 3 months reduced migraine days, the length and frequency of attacks and pain. The results of individual studies, however, varied quite a lot.7
Moderate evidence −1.3 A newer summary of randomised trials of various supplements for migraine: riboflavin reduced the number of attacks by 1.3 on average.8
Weak evidence — one study −5.6 mmHg Of 1,427 people with high blood pressure, 157 had the MTHFR 677TT gene variant. Some of them took 1.6 mg of riboflavin a day or placebo for 16 weeks: with riboflavin their systolic pressure fell by 5.6 mmHg more, even though they were already on blood pressure drugs.9

What to take from this

Sources

Written on , based on studies available at that date. Newer research may change the conclusions.

  1. EFSA NDA Panel (2017). Dietary reference values for riboflavin. EFSA Journal 15:4919. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4919
  2. EFSA (2025). Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels as derived by the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) and the EFSA Panel on Nutrition (version 11). efsa.europa.eu
  3. USDA ARS (2018). FoodData Central — SR Legacy, riboflavin per 100 g: beef liver, raw 2.8 mg (FDC 169451), whey protein (average) 2.0 mg (FDC 173180), almonds 1.1 mg (FDC 170567), feta 0.8 mg (FDC 173420), chicken egg, raw 0.5 mg (FDC 171287). fdc.nal.usda.gov
  4. Zempleni J., Galloway J. R., McCormick D. B. (1996). Pharmacokinetics of orally and intravenously administered riboflavin in healthy humans. Am J Clin Nutr 63:54–66. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/63.1.54
  5. Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements, Annex II — forms of vitamins and minerals permitted in supplements (consolidated version 26 Nov 2025). eur-lex.europa.eu
  6. Schoenen J., Jacquy J., Lenaerts M. (1998). Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial. Neurology 50:466–470. doi.org/10.1212/wnl.50.2.466
  7. Chen Y. S. et al. (2022). Effect of vitamin B2 supplementation on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Neurosci 25:1801–1812. doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2021.1904542
  8. Talandashti M. K. et al. (2025). Effects of selected dietary supplements on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Neurol Sci 46:651–670. doi.org/10.1007/s10072-024-07794-0
  9. Wilson C. P. et al. (2013). Blood pressure in treated hypertensive individuals with the MTHFR 677TT genotype is responsive to intervention with riboflavin: findings of a targeted randomized trial. Hypertension 61:1302–1308. doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.01047

This is general information and does not replace a doctor. Food supplements are not medicines; buy them from trusted sellers and talk to a doctor if you are ill or take medicines.