The urinary excretion of riboflavin among Nigerian Teenagers

Abstract

Twenty‐four‐hour urinary riboflavin excretions were determined microbiologically with lactobacillus casei var. rhamnosus in 31 normal healthy male boarding school students aged 14–17 years. Energy, protein and riboflavin intakes were calculated from foods actually consumed by each student.

There was a marked variation in riboflavin excretion among the students. The mean excretion over the 24‐hour period was 0.23mg ± 0.02 (S.E.). Forty‐two percent of the students below 15 years compared to 68 percent of those above 15 years of age excreted less than the mean.

Key words:

• Energy intake
• protein
• riboflavin