Riboflavin intake and mental health in central obesity
What it found
In 100 Greek adults with central obesity, higher daily riboflavin intake went with better scores on a mental health questionnaire.
The link held after accounting for age, sex, BMI, physical activity, smoking and medication.
What they found
Studies in people
Riboflavin and mental health
The mental health score rose with higher riboflavin intake. This was the only link that stayed significant after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, physical activity, smoking and medication.
Other vitamins in the first pass
Higher intakes of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate also went with better mental health scores at first. These links did not hold up once the regression models were applied.
Sodium and self-esteem
Sodium intake was linked to self-esteem scores in the first analysis. The link did not survive adjustment for other factors.
Chromium and depression
Chromium intake was linked to depression scores in the first analysis. This link also did not survive the regression models.
Low intakes overall
Most participants took in less than the recommended amounts of many vitamins and minerals. Riboflavin, thiamin and pyridoxine were low in men, and niacin was low in women.
What the authors conclude
“When adjusting for potential confounders, a positive association emerged between dietary riboflavin and mental health in people living with obesity.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say their study provides evidence of a link between dietary riboflavin and mental health in people with obesity.
- They highlight the importance of monitoring both nutritional status and mental health when managing obesity.
- They call for further studies with larger samples and a prospective or intervention design to establish causality.
How it was done
The authors note that people living with obesity often lack essential vitamins and minerals, and that few studies have looked at how micronutrient intake relates to mental health in this group.
They studied 100 men and women with central obesity and at least one related metabolic problem, mostly hyperlipidemia. Food diaries over four days estimated vitamin and mineral intake, and validated questionnaires scored mental health, depression and self-esteem.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a cross-sectional study, so it can show a link but not that riboflavin causes better mental health.
- The sample was 100 people, which the authors say is relatively small.
- The study could not look separately at women by menopause status because of the small sample size.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Mastiha Research Center (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Harokopio University of Athens, Greece; University of the Peloponnese, Greece
The paper
- Title
- Mental Health Component Scale Is Positively Associated with Riboflavin Intake in People with Central Obesity
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Amerikanou C, Gioxari A, Kleftaki SA, Valsamidou E, Zeaki A, Kaliora AC (2023). Mental Health Component Scale Is Positively Associated with Riboflavin Intake in People with Central Obesity. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu15204464Free full textPubMed 37892539DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error