Product Sheet
Biotin
…Essential Coenzyme nutrient for healthy hair and skin.
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Features & Benefits
- Powerful coenzyme intended to provide nutritive support to metabolize protein, fats and carbohydrates
- Important for healthy hair, skin and nails
Facts about Biotin
Biotin is an often forgotten essential vitamin that maintains the integrity of skin and hair cells, and helps metabolize fat, carbohydrates, and protein.1 Preliminary evidence in human trials also reveals that biotin plays a key role in the health of the peripheral nervous system.2,3 Organ meats, soybeans, cheese, cauliflower, brewer’s yeast, bananas, peanuts, mushrooms, oatmeal, chicken and eggs are good dietary sources.
Like all B vitamins, biotin is water-soluble. Although deficiency is uncommon, a substance in uncooked egg whites called avidin can bind with biotin and prevent it from being absorbed. Avidin is destroyed when eggs are cooked. Biotin deficiency has been reported to cause dermatitis, depression, loss of appetite, deafness and nausea. Infantile biotin deficiency can be caused by genetic problems that lead to the inability to properly metabolize biotin. Such cases can be successfully treated with high-doses of biotin under the care of pediatricians who specialize in metabolic disorders.4
Biotin is often added to hair, skin and nail cosmetics, because of its reputation for maintenance of the health of these tissues. Despite such applications, however, there is little evidence suggesting that topical use of this vitamin has any effect on hair, skin or nails. But when taken as a supplement, biotin has been reported to strengthen brittle nails. In one clinical trial using 2,500 mcg per day, biotin dramatically increased nail thickness for 91 percent of people suffering from this problem.5 In another six-month study of people taking 2,500 mcg per day, 63% responded with thicker, healthier nails.6 Similar findings have been confirmed independently in a controlled trial.7
Researchers have noted that blood levels of biotin are often deficient in people with diabetes.8 Preliminary reports have found that high doses of biotin (9–16 mg per day) have successfully helped in the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels.9
Approximately half of all pregnant women have elevated urinary levels of hydroxyisovaleric acid (3-HIA) – believed to be a sign of biotin deficiency. In one trial, supplementing pregnant women who had this abnormality with as little as 300 mcg of biotin per day led to a normalization of 3-HIA levels.10 These researchers concluded that marginal biotin deficiency is common during pregnancy. In mammals other than humans, even mild biotin deficiency increases the risk of birth defects, and some researchers now believe this might be true in humans as well.11 Other preliminary reports suggest that seborrheic dermatitis in young children, also called cradle cap, may result in part from a biotin deficiency.12,13 as won the approval of the German Commission E on herbal medicines.2