A new Cochrane review examined four randomized controlled trials involving 374 adults to evaluate whether riboflavin (vitamin B2) can meaningfully lower systolic or diastolic blood pressure. The evidence showed very uncertain effects, with pooled results indicating only small, statistically fragile reductions in systolic (−1.94 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (−3.03 mmHg), and overall findings were limited by high risk of bias and small sample sizes. No trials reported changes in antihypertensive medication use, and adverse events were rare and comparable between groups, suggesting no clear safety concerns.
The review also explored potential genetic interactions, especially in individuals with the MTHFR C677T polymorphism, but data remained insufficient for reliable conclusions. Overall, the authors highlighted that current evidence is too weak to support riboflavin supplementation as a blood pressure–lowering therapy and emphasized the need for larger, rigorously designed trials to establish its true clinical effect.
Keywords: riboflavin, blood pressure, hypertension, Cochrane review