Compared with the optimal riboflavin levels, the riboflavin deficiency treatment decreased the activities of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), glutathione reductase (GR), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and reduced the glutathione (GSH) content (P < 0.05).
The vitamin additionally plays a significant role in the normal functioning of glutathione reductase (GR) as an antioxidant enzyme, and conditions of riboflavin deficiency lead to oxidative damage.
Less than 12% of the individuals in each of the 3 groups had erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficients less than 1.2, indicating a widely occurring riboflavin deficiency.