Biotin Foods That Take Your Hair From Pretty To Perfect | BoldSky
B iotin, a vitamin B, is an important component of enzymes that break down substances in your body like fats, carbohydrates, and amino acids. Biotin is also called vitamin B7 or vitamin H.
Low amounts of biotin are found in various foods. Biotin is also found in supplement form, which is typically used to treat hepatitis, brittle nails, neuropathy (damage or dysfunction of one or more nerves), and other conditions. Further research on the health benefits of biotin is needed.
Why You Need Biotin
Your body uses biotin to regulate your genes and help your cells communicate. The amount of biotin you need depends on your age. The daily recommended intake of biotin is 30 micrograms (mcg) for adults who are 19 years old and above. Women who are lactating should consume 35 mcg per day.
There is some evidence to suggest that biotin supports the health of your hair, nerves, and digestive tract; however, future studies are needed to confirm these uses:
Hair Health
Some studies have shown that when people who are prone to hair loss take biotin supplements, they experience clinical improvement in hair health and quality.
Nerve Health
Biotin is long thought to help nerves recover from damage, such as that caused by multiple sclerosis. However, recent studies show no demonstrable long-term benefit of taking high doses of biotin for nerve health.
Proper Digestion
Biotin is an important vitamin for digestion. In addition to breaking down the compounds in foods you eat, it converts folic acid into its active form so it can help your body make new red blood cells.
Biotin is mainly used to treat biotin deficiency.
Because there isn't a good way to test for low levels of biotin, the condition is usually identified by its symptoms, which include:
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Scaly rash around your eyes, nose, mouth, and genital area
- Depression
- Lethargy (lack of energy)
- Hallucinations
- Numbness of your extremities (hands or feet)
- Ataxia (disease of the nervous system)
- Seizures
Biotin deficiency is caused by a diet that lacks biotin or by prolonged consumption of raw egg whites. There is also some evidence that diabetes could cause low biotin levels.
