Riboflavin intake, women's health and gut bacteria
What it found
Higher riboflavin intake was linked to fewer migraines, less premenstrual syndrome and lower anemia risk in women.
Gut bacteria can also make riboflavin, but scientists do not yet know how much this helps people.
What they found
Studies in people
Migraine prevention in people
Taking 400 mg of riboflavin a day for three months reduced how often migraines happened, how long they lasted and how much they hurt. This was seen across eight trials and one other study in men and women.
Premenstrual syndrome in women
In a study of 3025 women, those who ate more riboflavin from fortified cereals, milk or green vegetables had a 35% lower chance of getting premenstrual syndrome.
Anemia during pregnancy
In a trial of 2153 pregnant women in Ireland, 68% had low blood riboflavin levels. Those low levels predicted who would develop anemia by the 12th week of pregnancy.
Preeclampsia in pregnancy
In a trial of 455 women in Tanzania and Venezuela, taking 15 mg of riboflavin daily from the 20th week of pregnancy was linked to fewer severe cases of preeclampsia.
Animal and lab studies
Gut bacteria making riboflavin
Lab tests show that certain gut bacteria, including some lactobacilli, can make riboflavin. One strain made enough in lab conditions that 100 mL of a fermented drink could theoretically meet the 1.6 mg daily need, but no human trials have tested this yet.
Inflammation in cells and mice
In cell and mouse tests, riboflavin blocked signals that cause inflammation. This lowered several inflammation markers, but these effects are not yet well understood in people.
What the authors conclude
- They say many women lack enough riboflavin and should consider extra sources like fortified foods or probiotics that make the vitamin.
- They advise that more research is needed to understand how bacteria-made riboflavin affects women's health and the female microbiome.
- The authors call for large human trials to test different doses, forms and ways of giving riboflavin-producing bacteria.
How it was done
Women need more riboflavin during pregnancy, breastfeeding and their menstrual cycles, yet between 31% and 92% of women worldwide have low levels. The authors wanted to gather what is known about riboflavin for women and whether helpful gut bacteria could add to it.
The authors gathered and summarized existing research on riboflavin and women's health. They looked at studies in people, animals, cells and lab tests covering topics from migraines to pregnancy and gut bacteria.
What it can’t tell you
- This is a summary of many studies, so it cannot prove that riboflavin alone caused the health improvements seen in people over time.
- Many findings about inflammation and nerve protection come from cells or mice, which may not work the same way in people.
- No human trials have yet tested whether eating bacteria that make riboflavin actually improves health.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council) (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- This review was written in the framework of the PhD research projects of C.D., I.E., and S.A. However, for transparency, the authors want to declare relationships and interests that could be perceived as a potential conflict of interest. This involves the patent application EP20210606.8 that has been submitted by the host institution (University of Antwerp) on findings related to microbially produced riboflavin in strain Limosilactobacillus reuteri AMBV339. S.L., I.S., and S.A. are listed as inventors. Moreover, the authors declare that they have received funding from different probiotic and food supplement companies to perform mechanistic and clinical research related to aspects discussed in this review.
- Authors work at
- University of Antwerp, Belgium
The paper
- Title
- Riboflavin for women's health and emerging microbiome strategies
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Dricot CEMK, Erreygers I, Cauwenberghs E, et al (2024). Riboflavin for women's health and emerging microbiome strategies. NPJ biofilms and microbiomes. doi:10.1038/s41522-024-00579-5Free full textPubMed 39420006DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error