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Vitamin B₂ (riboflavin) is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the human body and is often used to improve skin and eye conditions. However, many people have misunderstandings about it and may even use it blindly, which can affect their health. Here are the 5 most common misconceptions to help you understand the truth: 

Misconception 1: Vitamin B₂ can "cure" oral ulcers and angular stomatitis. 

Many people will consume large amounts of vitamin B₂ as soon as they have oral ulcers or chapped lips, believing that it can "cure the disease immediately". 

Truth: Vitamin B₂ can indeed alleviate angular stomatitis and lip inflammation caused by "B₂ deficiency" (manifested as redness, swelling, and cracks at the corners of the mouth, with white secretions). However, the causes of oral ulcers and angular stomatitis are complex - high stress, staying up late, excessive heat, bacterial infection, zinc deficiency, etc. can all trigger them. If not caused by B₂ deficiency, consuming more vitamin B₂ will be of no use and may even delay the treatment of other causes. For example, angular stomatitis caused by bacterial infection requires first eliminating inflammation and then supplementing with targeted nutrition. 

Misconception 2: Taking vitamin B₂ can "treat hair loss" and "make hair thicker". 

Some people, upon hearing that vitamin B₂ is good for hair, consider it a "hair loss prevention tool" and even take it in large quantities for a long time. 

Truth: The role of vitamin B₂ is to participate in cell metabolism and help hair and skin maintain normal growth. It can only assist in improving "mild hair loss caused by B₂ deficiency" (such as dry and brittle hair accompanied by mild inflammation of the scalp). However, common types of hair loss, such as androgenetic alopecia (hair loss at the top), postpartum hair loss, alopecia areata, etc., are mainly related to hormones, genetics, mental stress, and hair follicle health, and have little to do with B₂ deficiency. Taking B₂ alone cannot solve these hair loss problems. Combining with the cause (such as regulating hormones, improving the environment of the hair follicle) for treatment is necessary. Blind supplementation may increase the metabolic burden on the body. 

Misconception 3: "If urine turns yellow, it means vitamin B₂ is excessive and will damage the kidneys." 

Many people, after taking vitamin B₂, notice that their urine turns bright yellow and worry that it is "overdose poisoning" and will damage the kidneys. 

Truth: This is a typical "misunderstanding of normal phenomena". Vitamin B₂ itself is yellow and is a water-soluble vitamin. The body cannot store the excess part and will excrete it through urine, causing the urine to turn yellow - this is similar to "skin turning yellow after eating carrots" or "urine changing color after drinking cola", it is the color of the component itself, not a signal of "overdose" or "damaging the kidneys". As long as the recommended dose (adults 1.2-1.4mg per day) is taken, even if the urine is yellow, there is no need to worry; if the dose is far beyond the recommended amount (such as taking dozens of milligrams per day), it may increase the metabolic burden on the kidneys and avoid blindly increasing the dosage. 

Misconception 4: "Supplementing vitamin B₂, taking a multi-vitamin B complex is better than taking a single B₂ supplement" 

Some people think that "the multi-vitamin B complex contains multiple B vitamins, supplementing vitamin B₂ by choosing the complex is more comprehensive and more effective". 

Truth: It needs to be judged in different scenarios and is not "always better". If it is "mild B₂ deficiency" (such as occasional dryness at the corners of the mouth), or if the diet is unbalanced, supplementing with the multi-vitamin B complex is fine; but if it is "clear B₂ deficiency syndrome" (such as diagnosed angular stomatitis, conjunctivitis), or if there is a specific need (such as pregnancy planning, poor digestion and absorption), it is necessary to supplement B₂ specifically, and a single B₂ supplement is more direct - the B₂ content in the multi-vitamin B complex is usually low (such as 0.5-1mg per tablet), which may not reach the targeted supplementation dose and may cause unnecessary metabolic burden by introducing excessive other B vitamins (such as B1, B6). 

Misconception 5: "As long as you eat foods rich in B₂, you will never lack it" 

Some people think that "B₂ is abundant in animal livers and spinach. As long as you eat these foods regularly, you don't need to take any additional supplements." 

The truth: This statement ignores "absorption efficiency" and "the needs of specific groups of people". Firstly, the absorption of B₂ is easily affected by cooking methods - for example, high-temperature frying and long-time stewing can destroy the B₂ in the food, resulting in insufficient actual intake; Secondly, some groups of people have higher needs for B₂ or poorer absorption abilities: such as pregnant women, lactating women (their needs increase by 50%), long-term vegetarians (the absorption rate of B₂ in plant-based foods is low), elderly people with weak digestion (their intestinal absorption capacity decreases), and people who take antibiotics for a long time (the drugs can affect the absorption of B₂). Even if these groups regularly eat foods rich in B₂, they may still be deficient and need to be supplemented appropriately under the guidance of a doctor, and cannot simply "ignore it" through diet.

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