Are you struggling with hair loss?

In this article will explore if BiotinΒ can help your hair grow faster ?

A variety of Vitamins play a role in hair growth including Vitamin A, B12, C, D, E and Biotin. These vitamins in combination play a role in the growth of thicker, healthier hair. But we are her to talk about Biotin. Biotin, especially in the last couple of years has grown in popularity due to attention being brought to it from various new outlets and media about its role in hair and nail growth.

Let’s find out more about Biotin.

Towards the end of the article I’ll look at a study showing how fast Biotin works

What is biotin?

Vial of biotin and pills
Biotin

Biotin, also known as vitamin H (the H is derived from the German wordsΒ  Haar und Haut meaning β€œhair and skin”) .

It also known as vitamin B7.

Vitamin B7 is a water-soluble vitamin. That means it is not stored in your body for long. (Biotin is also referred to sometimes as co-enzyme R).

Where is Biotin found?

It is found in a variety of foods and the list it too long, however, I’ll mention a couple so that you have an idea of food sources:

Egg yolk, oak flakes, nuts, soybeans, spinach, milk & milk products, pork, beef, carrots, tomatoes, apples. The foods I mentioned are not hard to find foods, so biotin deficiency is rare. Moreover, Β Biotin is also producedΒ  by your gut bacteria , but Β what we don’t know yet, because of the lack of quality studies, as to how much Biotin is produced.

The other thing to know is that different types of food contain various amounts of biotin. For example, egg yolk & milk contain higher amounts of biotin than certain vegetables. However, this alone is not the decisive factor, but more importantly,how much food gets into your body. We refer to this as bioavailability. Bioavailability also depends on the extent to which biotin is protein-bound; meat contain protein bound biotin, whereas plant biotin is available in free form.

Can we measure Biotin plasma levels?

Yes, we can measure B7 levels and the normal biotin plasma concentration ranges from 400 to 1,200 ng/L. But these levels can fluctuate, therefore, to get really accurate levels you would need to do the test over 2-3 days. Therefore, the test is not seen as a sensitive marker. More importantly, this is not practical.

Who wants to get a test done that often? Moreover, these tests are not common & expensive. A more accurate test would be to measure a metabolite called 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid in the urine seen in biotin deficiency. The normal biotin blood plasma levels in healthy individuals range from 200 to 1200 ng/L, with an optimum level of 400-500 ng/L in younger adults and children.Β  In older adults the value is around 300 ng/L. Independent from the cause, a biotin deficiency always exists when the plasma biotin level is below 100 ng/L.

How much biotin do we need in our diet?

Recommended levels of adequate intake by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine of biotin is between 35 and 70 ΞΌg/day. If taken as a supplement the recommended dose is 30 mcg per day, if you are pregnant it is 35 mcg/daily.

A note of caution, if you are taking biotin, it may interfere with laboratory tests of thyroid function. Other tests which can be affected are digoxin, ferritin, testosterone, brain natriuretic peptide(BNP), and progesterone. You Doctor will also advice that Biotin can interact with antibiotics such as azithromycin, ciprofloxacin.

Who has lower levels of Biotin?

Alcoholics, smokers, patients on tube feedings, patients on isotretinoin for acne treatment, patients on antiepileptics (valproic acid), patients who have had partial stomach removal with lower or no levels of stomach acid production, prolonged use of antibiotics interrupting normal gut flora, impaired intestinal absorption (IBD)Β  elderly patients. Patients who are pregnant and lactating. Acquired deficiency seen with increased raw egg consumption. Raw egg whites contain a protein (avidin)Β that blocks the absorption of biotin, so people who regularly consume a large number of raw eggs for several months may become biotin-deficient.

How do symptoms of biotin deficiency look like?

  • red rashes on the skin, especially the face
  • dry or scaly skin
  • brittle hair
  • hair loss
  • fatigue
  • insomnia or difficulty sleeping
  • loss of appetite
  • nausea
  • depression, hallucinations
  • burning or prickling sensation in the hands and feet

When can Biotin be given for hair loss?

If the hair loss is associated with a nutritional deficiency, supplementation with Biotin can be given. In other words, Biotin supplementation can be used as an effective complementary and alternative medicine for hair loss only in cases secondary to biotin deficiency.

As already mentioned, Biotin deficiency is rare., especially if your diet is well-balanced. Biotin has been shown to help with splitting brittle nails. Study data also shows that people can safely consume biotin also at much higher levels than the adequate intake (AI) I mentioned earlier without any health problems because of favorable side effects and toxicity profiles

What are the steps:

  • If biotin deficiency is suspected especially with values below 100 ng/L this can be treated with supplementation as well as nutritional supplementation.
  • At the same time other causes of deficiency such as thyroid disorder must be excluded. For example, in a study looking at biotin deficiency, 38%. reported levels lower than 100ng/L and 49% reported levels lower than 49%. However, 11% were found to have other reasons explaining lower biotin levels such as being on isotretinoin or antibiotics for example.

I have to mention a double blind study showing that biotin helped with thinning hair & speed up the increase rate of hair growth. In this study a marine protein supplement containing biotin vs placebo was given to test subjects over a 90-day period. Images of the scalp were taken of the affected areas of the scalp. Researchers could demonstrate that women who took the supplement, hair growth was promoted in the areas affected. Also, there was decreased hair loss in women with thinning of hair. Of note, this study was sponsored by a grant from Lifes2good, Inc.

 

Have a good day and Think your Health! Check entire Youtube video here.

 

Sources:

1)Β https://www.uptodate.com/contents/

2)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

3)https://www.hindawi.com/journals/

4)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books

5)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

6)https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText

7)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/

8)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

 

 

 

 

 

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