The association between dietary vitamin B2 intake, sleep quality, and daytime alertness

Introduction: Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) plays a role in the energy production by converting food into energy (glucose). Also, one of the accompanying effects of vitamin B2 deficiency is fatigue. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between dietary vitamin B2 intake, sleep quality and duration, and daytime alertness. Methods: Healthy young Dutch adults completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The FFQ consisted of 37 questions and 243-food items including grouped food products, and portion sizes and consumption frequency were taken into account when calculating usual average weekly vitamin B2 intake. In addition, a food diary assessed past 24-hour dietary vitamin B2 intake. Subjective sleep quality and daytime alertness were scored on a scale ranging from 0 (very poor) to 10 (excellent). The associations between usual and past 24-h dietary vitamin B2 intake and sleep quality and alertness were investigated by calculated using nonparametric Spearman correlations. Results: N=202 participants completed the survey [N= 69 males (34.2%) and N= 133 females (65.8%)]. Their mean (SD) age was 20.4 (2.3) years old. Overall, no significant association between vitamin B2 intake and sleep quality was found. In men, usual vitamin B2 intake was significantly correlated with sleep quality (r = 0.268, p