Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) — What It Means in Your Blood Test
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Riboflavin helps your body release energy from food and keeps your skin and eyes healthy.
Your Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result shows how much of the nutrient you have to draw on. Enough of it helps unlock fuel from meals and keeps your eyes and skin comfortable.
Also known as: riboflavin, vitamin B2, flavin, riboflavine, lactoflavin
This isn't a case where higher or lower is better. Your body keeps it in a narrow band, and both directions can matter.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
What is Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)?
Riboflavin, also called vitamin B2, is a vitamin that dissolves in water. It helps your body make energy and use fat, and it supports healthy skin and eyes. This test measures your level.
Why is Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) tested?
Your doctor may order this test if you have a sore throat, cracked lips, or eyes that are sensitive to light.
What is a normal Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) range?
- India
- No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison.
- Global
- Normal serum riboflavin: 4–24 ng/mL (NIH / Institute of Medicine reference)
Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Source: [Institute of Medicine, 1998]
What does your Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) value mean?
There is no widely-accepted set of value bands for this parameter. Compare your result with the reference range printed on your own report, and discuss it with your doctor.
What does a high Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result mean?
Extra riboflavin from food or supplements leaves your body in urine, which may look bright yellow. It is not generally linked to any harm.
What does a low Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result mean?
A low level can cause cracked lips, a sore throat, a sore tongue, and skin changes around your nose and mouth.
What can affect your Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result?
- Dairy, eggs, and meat
- Vegetarian or vegan diet
- Long-term heavy drinking
- Activity level
- Thyroid hormone levels
Questions to ask your doctor
About this result
- What does my Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result mean for me specifically, given my age and health?
- Is my Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) in the range that is right for me, not just the lab's general range?
What to do next
- Could anything I eat, do, or take have affected my energy-release vitamin result?
- Is there anything I should do about my Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), or is it fine to leave as it is?
About retesting
- Does my Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) need to be repeated, and if so, when?
- The typical range for Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) can vary between labs — should I compare my result against my own lab's printed range?
The bigger picture
- Should my Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) be looked at together with my Vitamin D (25-OH) and Vitamin B12 result?
- Does my Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) connect to any condition I already have, or to anything I have noticed in how I feel?
Frequently asked questions
- What is Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)?
- Riboflavin, also called vitamin B2, is a vitamin that dissolves in water. It helps your body make energy and use fat, and it supports healthy skin and eyes. This test measures your level. Your doctor may order this test if you have a sore throat, cracked lips, or eyes that are sensitive to light.
- What is a normal energy-release vitamin range?
- A typical adult range is around Normal serum riboflavin: 4–24 ng/mL (NIH / Institute of Medicine reference). No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison. Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
- What does a high Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result mean?
- Extra riboflavin from food or supplements leaves your body in urine, which may look bright yellow. It is not generally linked to any harm.
- What does a low Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result mean?
- A low level can cause cracked lips, a sore throat, a sore tongue, and skin changes around your nose and mouth.
- What can affect your Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) result?
- Several everyday factors can influence it, including Dairy, eggs, and meat, Vegetarian or vegan diet, Long-term heavy drinking, Activity level, Thyroid hormone levels.
Sources
- Institute of Medicine (1998) — Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline
Part of the Vitamins
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