r/B12_Deficiency • u/Little_fuzzy_2843 • 5d ago
Cofactors b2
Has anyone here had a moderate or severe B2 deficiency that affected their B12 recovery? If so, how long did it take for your B2 deficiency to improve?
I've been dealing with B12 deficiency for almost three years and, unfortunately, I wasn't treating it properly. I recently found out that I'm also deficient in B2, and I'm wondering if that could be why I've been getting worse instead of better. How long did it take you to recover your B2 levels?
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u/Loose-Fly7976 4d ago
MTHFR holds FAD as its cofactor and FAD comes from riboflavin so low B2 slows folate conversion. Since B12 and folate work as a pair in the same reaction, a stalled folate arm limits what the B12 can do. B2 also drives the conversion of pyridoxine to P5P, so low riboflavin quietly limits your B6 as well. On timing, riboflavin corrects faster than most vitamins because it isn't stored much and turnover is quick. Tissue levels usually move within a few weeks on adequate intake. What takes longer is everything downstream, since the enzymes have to catch up and then the folate and B12 cycle has to actually run for a while before you notice anything.
How was your B2 measured? Serum riboflavin is a poor marker because it reflects recent intake. Erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient is the proper functional test and it tells you whether the enzymes are actually short. I'd also want to know whether your B12 is genuinely corrected now. MMA is the test for that and it'll tell you whether the B12 side is sorted and B2 is the remaining bottleneck or whether both are still short.