Biotin is an essential component to promote hair growth, lack of biotin can lead to hair loss, unhealthy skin, and delicate nails. Biotin affects hair by increasing the keratin construction and strengthening the hair further. Biotin plays an important role in managing the blood sugar levels of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes and pregnant women. The source of biotin can be found in a number of food items such as egg yolks, cheese, green leafy vegetables; in other words, a person can obtain biotin by maintaining a proper healthy diet consisting of healthy foods.
What is Biotin?
Biotin commonly known as vitamin H is a part of the vitamin B complex group that helps the body to turn food or carbohydrates into fuel that is glucose, which is further used to make energy. The vitamin B complex family plays a major role in maintaining healthy hair and skin, it’s essential for the liver to function properly and good eyesight. Our body needs biotin to break down fats, carbohydrates, and amino acids, biotin strengthens the nails of the human body and prevents them from breaking easily. Being a water-soluble vitamin, an excess of Biotin can simply pass through the human body via urine. In pregnant women, biotin is essential for the growth of the embryo. The deficiency or lack of biotin can cause symptoms like scaly skin, hair loss, dry eyes, insomnia, and in many cases depression.
Biotin for hair:
People experiencing the random loss of hair can be due to the deficiency of biotin.
Vitamin H is highly recommended for having healthy skin and hair. Biotin for hair growth is an important component, using a shampoo that is rich in biotin and taking biotin supplements can be very useful for people having thin hair. Biotin affects hair by encouraging the production of keratin in hair which further increases the growth of a follicle.
Adults should take 30 mcg of biotin per day and breastfeeding mothers should intake around 35 mcg of biotin per day. Vitamin h that stands for “Haar and Haut” meaning “hair and skin” in German, improves hair health and studies have shown that the lack of biotin can be a primary cause of Alopecia (hair loss).
Does Biotin Work?
According to a journal, skin Appendage Disorders, released in the year 2017, drew a conclusion to the fact that biotin lessens hair loss, it still remains a popular nutrient for the growth of nail, hair, and skin. It is claimed that biotin-rich shampoos can reduce the loss of hair. Foods that are rich in biotin such as eggs, milk, leafy vegetables help in securing the follicle by increasing the production of keratin of the body according to the National Institutes of Health. Biotin affects hair, reduces hair loss, and strengthens the hair follicle.
Benefits of Biotin
Biotin benefits the human body in a number of ways which are:
- Biotin helps in the breakdown of macronutrients – a part of the Vitamin B complex family, biotin changes the food that we eat in the form of energy; in other words, it helps in the metabolism process of the human body. It prompts the enzymes of our body that is responsible for the breaking down of carbohydrates and fats.
- Involvement of biotin in the process of Gluconeogenesis – Biotin-rich enzymes help commence the process of Gluconeogenesis, which is to synthesize glucose from sources other than carbohydrates and amino acids.
- For synthesizing Fatty acids – biotin helps enzymes that initiate reactions, which are important for producing fatty acids.
- Biotin prevents weak nails – fragile nails can be damaged easily and the deficiency of biotin can be the primary cause of that. Taking biotin-rich food can help to build strong nails.
A few more benefits:
- Biotin for hair growth – biotin helps in securing the follicle by stimulating the overall keratin production of the body, this helps in the reduction of hair loss. Keratin is an important constituent of hair and nails; the increased production of keratin increases hair growth. The deficiency of biotin or vitamin H can be the cause of baldness. Biotin affects the hair and makes it stronger, preventing it from damages.
It helps during the time of pregnancy and breastfeeding – biotin is important for the embryo to grow properly. Biotin plays an important role in regulating genes, stability of the genome in embryos. Any pregnant lady having biotin deficiency will face impaired development of her fetus.- Biotin helps reducing blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetic patients – Type 2 diabetes has symptoms such as high blood sugar level and poor insulin functions. The deficiency of biotin disrupts the glucose regulation and the sugar level in the blood. The results from the researches have revealed that intake of biotin along with Chromium Picolinate can help patients dealing with type 2 diabetes.
- Biotin helps maintaining healthy skin – deficiency of biotin causes scaly skin and red patches around the corner of the eyes. Biotin metabolizes the fat under the skin and maintains the mucous membrane of the skin. The lack of biotin can cause red rashes across the body.
The Side Effects Of Biotin
Mostly biotin is found in all healthy foods such as leafy vegetables, eggs, milk, majority of people get biotin from a proper diet. Too much biotin can create false positives for thyroid disease in labs. However, since the vitamins are water-soluble, their side (effects are) very rare as the excess of them can be excreted through urine.
Biotin side effects also include problems related to digestion and nausea.
Biotin Pills & Biotin Supplements
Biotin initiates cellular activities in the human body. Biotin supplements improve hair growth and metabolism. Biotin supplements can be used to treat hair-related problems and skin-related problems as well. The Country Life Maxi Hair-Plus for skin and nails is one of the best supplements for biotins. Biotin pills when taken orally, can cure skin rashes and prevent brittle nails.
Biotin Rich Food
Vitamin h is an important nutrient for good eyesight and liver functions. Some intestinal bacteria to secrete biotin. Additional biotin can be obtained by eating healthy food. Vitamin h foods, like egg yolks, are rich in vitamin b and an important source of biotin. Anybody can get 10mcg of biotin from a cooked egg, as cooking the egg fully improves biotin absorption by the human body. Peanuts are a higher source of proteins and biotin.
Nuts and seeds have unsaturated fats and can provide biotin as well. Intaking a variety of nuts can easily raise the biotin levels of your body. Some of the organic meats such as the liver are very rich in biotin as the most amount of the body’s biotin is stored in the liver. Among other vegetables, sweet potatoes are considered to be the richest source of biotin. Besides biotin, they are also rich in other vitamins and antioxidants.
The nutrient-rich fungi such as mushrooms have ample biotin. Yeast is a source of biotin. Nutritional yeast can provide 21mcg of biotin per two tablespoons. Avocados are a source of folate, are also another rich source of biotin. A medium-size avocado can provide 1.85mcg of biotin.
Conclusion:
It helps in embryonic development and patients with diabetes type 2. Biotin affects hair and prevents hair loss, it also improves liver function and eyesight. It helps in metabolism and can be obtained through a healthy diet. The effect of excess Biotin is usually rare, however, too much biotin can cause health issues.
