Among other things, your body needs biotin, often known as vitamin B7, for overall wellbeing. It can be found as a supplement and is naturally found in foods like egg yolks and oats.
Shampoos and supplements with biotin are frequently touted for promoting healthier hair and regrowing lost hair. However, research indicates that they only work in those whose biotin deficiencies are to blame for their hair issues. This article covers the potential advantages of biotin for your health, its potential risks, dose guidelines, and how to pick the best biotin supplement for you.
What Is Biotin?
A vitamin B type found in food is called biotin. The body uses biotin to break down proteins, carbs, and lipids. The use of biotin in complementary and alternative medicine has supported the treatment or prevention of biotin deficiency. Malnutrition, fast weight loss, prolonged tube feeding, and other medical problems can all result in biotin deficiency.
In infants, Seborrhea (a skin rash) has also been treated with biotin. Research has nevertheless indicated that biotin might not be useful in curing this ailment.
Other applications that studies have not supported include the treatment of diabetes, nerve discomfort, brittle nails or thinning hair, and other illnesses.
Health Benefits Of Biotin
It boosts metabolism.
In order to sustain metabolic activity, biotin is crucial. It aids in the body’s breakdown and metabolization of fat, carbs, and amino acids, all of which contribute to the production of energy.
According to research, taking biotin together with chromium picolinate may speed up your body’s metabolism especially overweight to obese individual with type 2 diabetes.
This indicates that biotin is crucial for your metabolism and blood sugar regulation, even while it does not imply that it might speed up weight reduction.
It stimulates hair growth.
Biotin is frequently promoted as a nutrient that promotes hair development and stops hair loss.
Because thin and brittle hair has been linked to biotin deficiency, many people think the vitamin keeps hair healthy and may even encourage growth. There isn’t enough data to declare with certainty that biotin can make your hair grow, despite research suggesting that it may boost hair health if someone has a biotin shortage.
It controls blood sugar.
Blood sugar control is a crucial component of the weight loss and weight gain prevention puzzles. And although it entails more than only taking a supplement, something like biotin might be an excellent first step. In order to lower blood sugar levels and maintain glucose control in diabetics, biotin promotes liver glucokinase activity, boosts insulin synthesis, and improves glucose absorption in muscle cells.
It strengthens the immune system.
In addition to immune-stimulating vitamins C, D, zinc, and others, biotin could help promote healthy immunological responses. It is necessary for various immune cell types to operate properly, especially T-lymphocytes (T-cells) and natural killer (NK) cells, which are crucial for both innate and adaptive immune responses.
It is beneficial to newborns in the womb.
It is possible for pregnant women to develop a biotin deficit in rare circumstances; thus, it is occasionally advised to take a prenatal vitamin that contains biotin and folic acid while pregnant to support fetal health.
On the other hand, consuming excessive amounts of biotin while pregnant may result in uncommon adverse effects, including allergies, acne, or even miscarriage. Before using biotin while pregnant, always consult your OB/GYN.
It helps the skin shine.
Some people think that biotin contributes to good skin since those who don’t get enough of it may have red rashes or dry, itchy skin. However, the claim that consuming biotin results in better skin needs to be sufficiently supported by scientific research.
Biotin Daily Dosage
A recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for biotin has not been determined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For individuals 19 years of age and older, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends daily consumption of 30 micrograms (mcg). Usually, a person may obtain this amount from their food.
However, some who advocate for its usage frequently suggest taking supplements containing 2 to 5 mg of biotin daily to strengthen hair and get benefits.
Sources Of Biotin-Rich Foods
Non-Vegan Sources
Non-vegan sources of biotin include eggs, dairy products such as milk and cheese, and meats such as liver and kidney. Fish and seafood like salmon, halibut, and trout also contain biotin. Egg yolks and liver particularly have more biotin content compared to other sources.
Egg Yolks
Eggs are high in B vitamins, protein, iron, and phosphorus. Biotin is very abundant in the yolk. 50 grams of whole, cooked eggs have 10 mcg of biotin in them. Eggs can be cooked hard, scrambled, or used to make muffins or waffles, among other baked items.
Liver
The liver, in particular, has a high biotin content. Given that your liver is where your body stores the majority of its biotin, this makes biological sense. The amount of biotin in just 3 ounces (75 grams) of cooked beef liver is almost 31 mcg.
Vegan Sources
Vegans may be concerned about getting enough biotin in their diet because it is found in significant amounts in some animal-derived foods. However, plenty of biotin-rich vegan foods can satisfy your daily nutritional intake, some of which are listed below.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a fantastic source of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In addition, they provide 2.4mcg of biotin (8% of the AI) in every cooked serving of a half cup.
Mushrooms
The amount of biotin in one cup of chopped fresh button mushrooms is 5.6mcg (19% of the AI).
Legumes
Any wholesome diet must include legumes, including peas, beans, and lentils. They provide significant levels of biotin as well. For example, roasted peanuts can provide 5mcg (17% of AI) of biotin per half-cup, while a serving of whole soybeans contains a whopping 19.3mcg (64% of AI).
Roasted Almonds
A quarter-cup portion of roasted almonds contains 1.5mcg of biotin or 5% of the daily recommended amount of AI.
Sunflower Seeds
A quarter cup of toasted sunflower seeds produces about 2.6 mcg of biotin (9% of the AI).
Bananas
About 0.2 mcg of biotin may be found in a half cup of bananas.
Signs Of Biotin Deficiency
Biotin deficiencies can cause the following symptoms:
- Balding hair
- Broken nails
- Arid skin
- A red, scaly rash that typically affects the lips, nose, and eyes
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye) (pink eye)
- Depression
- Exhaustion
- Hallucinations
- Your arms and legs feel tingly and numb.
Visit your doctor for a diagnosis if you have any biotin-deficient symptoms. Numerous other conditions can produce comparable symptoms but call for distinct therapies.
Does Biotin Make You Gain Weight?
Despite suggestions that biotin supplements cause weight gain, the assertions are unsupported by scientific evidence. Some of the justification for these assertions is based on the following:
Due to biotin’s capacity to improve energy metabolism, which can also increase appetite via improving digestion. Because of how biotin regulates glucose, it can drop blood sugar and increase cravings for food. To find science to support these, though, there isn’t much to go on. However, other studies indicate that consuming too many B vitamins is significantly associated with the prevalence of obesity and diabetes 15.
How To Avoid Weight Gain While Taking Biotin?
- Get adequate rest
Everyone requires enough sleep for maximum efficiency, but if you want to lose weight and keep it off, sleep should be your first concern. That entails getting at least 7-8 hours of unbroken, high-quality sleep each night. A important point to keep in mind is that the type of food you eat determines the quality of your sleep so try incorporating foods like whole grains, sweet potatoes, almonds, pumpkin seeds, spinach, etc.
- Pay attention to your macronutrients
Your body gets its energy from macronutrients such as proteins, carbs, and fats. If you are having trouble losing weight, take a step back and look at your food. Every meal should have a well-balanced combination of lean protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, and lots of veggies.
- Remember to consume micronutrients
Your micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, are just as significant as your macronutrients. All of your body’s metabolic processes are managed by them.
- Control your stress
Any attempts to lose weight will be thwarted by high-stress levels caused to cortisol alone. Stress and glucocorticoids like cortisol regulate food intake and energy expenditure, boosting the desire for certain meals, particularly those heavy in fat and sugar. Therefore, learning stress reduction strategies is essential if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
- Move each day
The trinity of nutrition, exercise, and sleep is essential for weight loss, but you won’t see the desired results if you only focus on your sleep and diet. While engaging in a high-intensity activity for two hours daily is not required, it does mean including some movement into your daily routine.
Conclusion
It is unknown whether biotin is helpful in curing any illnesses. The FDA has not authorized the use of this product for medical purposes. You shouldn’t substitute biotin for any prescription that your doctor has recommended for you.
Frequently, biotin is offered as a natural supplement. Many herbal compounds have no established production regulations, and some commercially available supplements have been found to include harmful metals or other substances. To reduce the possibility of contamination, herbal/health supplements should be acquired from a reputable supplier.