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Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin and is part of the B vitamin family. It is also known as vitamin H, or vitamin B7. Your body needs biotin to convert certain nutrients into energy. Vitamin B also plays an important role in the health of your hair, skin and nails.
If you don't get enough biotin, you can lose hair and develop scaly, red rashes around body openings (eyes, nose and mouth, etc.). However, a deficiency is rare. In most cases, the biotin you get from your diet is enough for you to reap the health benefits the vitamin offers.
Keep reading to find out how to add biotin to your diet, what to look for in a biotin supplement, possible side effects, and more.
There are no Nordic recommendations for how much biotin we need. A mixed diet provides an average of 40 micrograms of biotin per day. Biotin deficiency does not usually occur in the European population. Based on the average intake and the lack of deficiency, the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA, has determined that an adequate intake of biotin is 40 micrograms per day.
Some underlying causes of biotin deficiency
Problems with the absorption of nutrients in the intestines, or serious digestive disorders such as Crohn's disease*, celiac disease (gluten intolerance) or leaky gut syndrome.
*Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Common symptoms are diarrhea, stomach cramps after eating and weight loss.
You probably already get the daily recommended amount of biotin from the food you eat. But if you want to increase your intake even more, you can add more biotin-rich foods to your diet or take a dietary supplement with biotin.
Foods rich in biotin
If you don't think you're getting enough biotin from your diet, or if you just want to increase your dose, a biotin supplement may be an option.
Although more research is needed to assess its effects for increased hair growth, biotin has several proven benefits.
For example, biotin is one of several B vitamins that support a healthy metabolism. Biotin converts glucose from carbohydrates into energy in the body and helps amino acids perform normal body functions.
Other benefits that biotin has:
Adding more biotin-rich foods to the diet carries no risks. Biotin has no known interactions, but you should still double check with your doctor if you take a dietary supplement with biotin and take other medication at the same time (to confirm that it is okay to take biotin with your particular medication).
Another important thing to know: if you are going to give a blood sample / do a blood analysis , and you take a food supplement with biotin (vitamin B7), then you should stop taking it at least one week before taking the sample, as it affects the analysis results. The Swedish Medicines Agency has stated the following: Blood samples from patients taking extra biotin may contain so much of the substance that it can affect the tests and cause incorrect results. This can lead to the patient not being treated for their illness or receiving the wrong treatment.
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, so any extra biotin in the body will be flushed out through the urine. This makes a potential overdose unlikely.
If you develop unusual or unexpected skin rashes after increasing your biotin intake, contact your doctor immediately. In rare cases, this is a sign of biotin overdose.
Your doctor should then check the following to confirm an overdose:
*The highest levels of vitamin B6 are found in animal foods such as meat, poultry, sausages, eggs and milk products. But potatoes, cereals, berries and bread are also good sources of vitamin B6.
For those who do not eat dairy products, it is important to find another source of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is found in, for example, whole grain breakfast cereals, whole grain bread, potatoes, legumes, green leafy vegetables, fruit, berries, almonds, wheat germ and sesame seeds.
Most people will not see any noticeable benefits until they have increased their intake for several months. For best results, you should be consistent in your intake of a dietary supplement with biotin .
If you increase your intake through food, you need to eat several biotin-rich foods daily to actually consume enough biotin to see a difference.
Although the research is limited, studies suggest that results can be seen after about 90 days.
This includes an increase in hair growth and more shiny hair. The belief is that the longer you consume a higher dose of biotin, the better your results will be.
If you experience that your hair has become thinner or that you are losing more hair, then biotin can help with regrowth. There is some research to suggest that increasing biotin intake can improve overall hair quality, including hair thickness and shine.
If you think your hair loss and/or thinning hair is due to something else, you can start by doing a blood test . A blood test can show if you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, or if your hair loss is due to hormonal causes.
Can keratin supplements contribute to thick hair? Keratin is the basic protein that builds up your hair, skin and nails. It is clear that biotin improves the body's "keratin infrastructure". Keratin is also found in your internal organs and glands. Keratin is a protective protein.
Keratin can come from feathers, horns and wool of various animals and be used as an ingredient in hair products and nutritional supplements . Since keratin is the structural building block of your hair, a keratin supplement , hair products and hair treatments with keratin can help strengthen your hair and make it look healthier.
