Alone, B vitamins are inactive. When they enter the body they go through several chemical processes to perform their function within the body. Only with the addition of other substances or parts of other molecules do they reach their functional, or coenzyme, form. This coenzyme forms with other components to make an enzyme. The enzyme serves as a catalyst in various metabolic and regulatory processes.
Folic acid is necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids and the formation of red blood cells.
It can be found in foods including leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, cereals, beans, poultry, and egg yolks. Pregnant women with an insufficient intake of folic acid are more likely to give birth prematurely or to deliver babies with low birth weight or with birth defects. Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, functions as part of metabolic systems concerned with the oxidation of carbohydrates and amino acids, the constituents of proteins. Vitamin B2 is found in foods such as milk, eggs, leafy vegetables, kidney, and liver. An adult needs between 1.2 and 1.7 mg of the vitamin daily.