Riboflavin supplementation and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in the elderly

Abstract

High levels of total plasma homocysteine are potentially harmful in the elderly. To investigated the effects of oral riboflavin supplementation on plasma total homocysteine, ferritin, uric acid and C-reactive protein concentration in elderly people with a low riboflavin status. We performed a four-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of riboflavin supplementation in seven Portuguese day social centers. Eighty-eight individuals (66.7% female), aged between 60 and 94 years, volunteered to participate in the study following interview. Forty-two subjects, with an erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (EGRAC) 1.2, were included in the intervention trial. All subjects gave informed consent. Study subjects were administered 10 mg riboflavin (n=21) or placebo (n=21) each day for 28 days. Riboflavin supplementation significantly decreased plasma tHcy (P=0.005) and EGRAC (P=0.014), but not plasma ferritin, uric acid or C-reactive protein. In this elderly group, we found that 10 mg/day oral riboflavin supplementation lowered plasma homocysteine concentrations in subjects with low riboflavin status.