Most plant and animal tissues contain some riboflavin. However, the foods that contribute the most riboflavin to the U.S. diet are milk and milk drinks, followed by bread products and fortified cereals. National food surveys show that the median daily intake of riboflavin in the United States is about 2 milligrams for men and roughly 1.5 milligrams for women, well above the recommended levels of 1.3 milligrams and 1.1 milligrams, respectively.
Some good food sources of riboflavin include beef liver, yogurt, milk, trout, pork loin, egg, feta cheese, spinach, cottage cheese, chicken (dark meat), rice (brown), and oranges.
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Riboflavin, in milligrams
Age/Sex Riboflavin
Males
9-13 years 0.9
14 + years 1.3
Females
9-13 years 0.9
14-18 years 1.0
19 + years 1.1
Source: The National Academy of Sciences, 1998.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin (pronounced co-BALL-uh-min), was first discovered in 1948. Roughly 50 percent of this water-soluble vitamin is stored in the liver and the other half is transported to other tissues. Vitamin B12 serves as a cofactor (an essential component of enzymes) for two different enzymes. It is necessary- for normal blood formation and neurological function. Vitamin B12 also maintains the sheath, or covering, that surrounds and protects nerve fibers and promotes their normal growth.
Vitamin and He art Disease
Vitamin B12, in conjunction with folate (another B vitamin) and vitamin B 6, helps to lower blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease.
Vitamin Bi2 and HIV/AIDS
There is a high prevalence of low vitamin B12 levels in people with HIV. In one study, researchers found that individuals with low B12 blood levels had a faster progression from HIV to AIDS, compared to those with adequate B12 blood levels. In fact, low blood levels of vitamin B12 were associated with a nearly twofold increase in risk of progression to AIDS. However, whether or not B 12 supplementation would slow the progression of die disease is not yet known.
Vitamin Bj2 and Depression
In new research from the Women’s Health and Aging Study, older women with vitamin B12 deficiency appear to be more prone to depression. Experts studied 700 women
aged 65 and older, and those with a B12 deficiency were more than twice as likely to
suffer from severe depression than women without a deficiency. Evidently, a lack of B12 may cause a buildup, or alter chemicals in the brain involved with mood.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12
