Biotin deficiency – Biotin Review

What you should know about biotin.

Hair care, Health, Videos biotin, Biotin deficiency

What is biotin?

Biotin is a water soluble vitamin that does wonders for the human body. It is the other name for vitamin H or vitamin B7. It is one of the eight B vitamins and can be made by the bacteria in the intestine. It is also found in a number of foods that we may eat on a daily basis. It plays a key role in many biological processes and keeps you energized. Yes, biotin is responsible for the production of energy in the body, and it is really important for your body.

What does biotin do for you?

To begin with it acts as a catalyst or a coenzyme when food, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins, are being converted into energy in the body. Essential fatty acids from the digestion of fats in our food, are really important for good nervous system function. A deficiency in biotin can show up as lethargy and extreme tiredness. Or maybe a feeling of feeling dull all the time. This is because of the importance of biotin in the manufacture of energy in the body. If you are feeling very tired, this may be a time to seek medical advice, and get a blood test carried out. Another option is to consider taking a biotin supplement, and get back to your healthy life as soon as possible.

The following video gives you some more information about the importance of biotin for optimal health.

Also since biotin regulates your metabolism and controls the production of biochemical energy in your body, it is a great aid during your weight loss phase. So if you are consciously trying to lose weight, do take some biotin and iron supplements to keep yourself energized and healthy. Weight loss can be a trying time for the body. And weight loss without adequate guidance can be harmful. Many people have reported hair fall and sudden brittleness in nails post the weight loss phase. That’s because of the body not getting nutrition enough. So be well informed about what you are doing.

What can biotin help you with?

Now that you have a broad idea about what biotin does for your body, its time to work out the finer details. This section will help you decide if biotin is in anyway relevant to the health issues that you may be having.

This following video follows on from the one just above. In it Dr. Osborne explores the factors that may cause a biotin deficiency.

In this video Dr. Osborne refers to some of the most common factors that may contribute to a biotin deficiency. They can also reduce the levels of biotin circulating in the body.

They are as follows:

Alcohol consumption;
Low stomach acid (from antacids and stomach surgery);
Smoking;
Pregnancy (increases demand for biotin);
High consumption of egg whites;
Chronic use of antibiotics – healthy bacteria produce biotin;
Parenteral nutrition;
Genetic inborn errors of metabolism;
Seizure medications can also deplete biotin.

What can you do to stop hair loss?

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Hair loss is becoming a major concern in our fast paced lifestyle, especially in professions where keeping your looks in order is important. But profession or not, who doesn’t want a head full of great hair! Hair loss can be caused by a variety of reasons! Sometimes it’s just due to heredity or genetic factors. Other reasons maybe stress, an unhealthy diet or an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and drinking, or excessive use of hair styling products. Hair loss can also be a symptom of some grave underlying diseases such as hypothyroidism, medications, or improper hormone functioning, obesity or vitamin deficiencies. Keep reading to know what you can do to stop hair loss.

Whenever the body is showing signs of dis-ease, in this case an increase in hair fall, the first place to look is always our diet. An important vitamin which has a connection with healthy hair is biotin, or B7, a member of the B vitamin family.

What should you know about Biotin?

Biotin is also known as vitamin H. it is responsible for healthy hair and nails. It regulates your blood sugar as it works directly with the conversion of carbohydrates and fats to glucose.

Biotin is great for overall health of the body and during weight loss periods too as an aid to weight loss. Since it helps with the conversion of what we eat to biochemical energy, it ensures that all parts of your body gets a part of the nutrition. So your hair follicles get adequate nutrition and the cortex of your hair is strengthened.

Biotin has been known to arrest hair fall quite quickly, and with prolonged use has also stimulated the growth of new hair follicles.

Is there a secret vitamin that grows your hair back?

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Hair loss or hair fall is a huge problem with many these days, gender no bar. And people all over the world have started resorting to hair transplants and other forms of invasive treatment to see differences. After all who wouldn’t want to have a head full of thick, lustrous hair! But what if you could grow back your hair by just tweaking your diet a little here and there? Unbelievable, eh? But it’s very much a possibility, in fact over the last couple of years, science and doctors are increasingly giving credit to this secret vitamin that helps with bringing your hair back. Some en say that there nails have become stronger!

What is this secret vitamin?

Ever heard of the Vitamin H? It’s also known as biotin and more or less helps with all the functions of the human body. It is needed so that the body can easily make use of carbohydrates, fats and proteins that you take in. in fact, the production of biochemical energy in your body is due to this vitamin! It acts as a catalyst or a coenzyme in energy production cycles. In short it boosts your metabolism, controls sugar levels in your body and is overall great for general health.

Also if you are trying to lose weight, then biotin might help you achieve that svelte figure faster. Since it helps with energy production and metabolism, this is a good thing to have in your diet. Start taking a biotin supplement if you are trying to lose weight.

What’s biotin’s linked to healthy hair?

Biotin deficiency has no direct relation to hair loss or unhealthy hair. But a good amount of this vitamin in the body does manifest itself as thick and lustrous hair. In fact when people have complained of hair loss and they have been started on biotin supplements, it has been shown to arrest hair fall. And with continued use has even stimulated new hair growth.

So how does this happen?

Biotin helps with keeping your hair follicles healthy. Since it helps with the breakdown of fats, carbohydrates, proteins in the body, it ensures that all parts of the body are given that nutrition. If you have lustrous skin, them somewhere down the line, biotin is responsible for it. It helps against flaky and dry scalp. It also increases the elasticity of the hair and strengthens the hair cortex.

What are the sources of biotin?

Egg yolks and liver are the richest sources of biotin. But they are also found in green leafy vegetables, cereals, milk and dairy products, and colored vegetables. Beef also has this vitamin in a prominent quantity. But if you are a vegan, then its time to start taking a biotin supplement.

So the secret ingredient is not really secret. It’s a vitamin that is available in nature and is part of a well balanced and nutritious diet. Therefore for healthy hair, have a well balanced diet and exercise regularly.

Does Vitamin B12 help in hair growth?

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Apart from obesity, scanty hair or hair fall is one of the many problems plaguing mankind today. And like obesity, the solution to hair fall lies in what you eat or rather what you don’t eat, that is, whatever goes inside your body. The parallels are to make you see the deeper connection between what you are and what you eat. So it will not come as a surprise when you come to know that vitamin B12 has actually helped a lot of people overcome the hair problem. Let’s look at why there is hair loss in seemingly healthy people, and if Vitamin B12 really does help with it.

What causes hair fall?

Hair fall or slower hair growth can be attributed to a number of reasons.

Environmental factors such as air and water pollution. stress
Stress, which effects many body functions.
Genetic or hereditary factors.
Insufficient nutrition or deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals in the body.
Certain drugs, and treatments that have led to adverse reactions in the body. Sometimes weight loss products lead to hair loss.
Cosmetic treatment of hair

A peek into what is vitamin B12 and what it does for your body.

Vitamin B12 is one of the eight B vitamins and is also known as cobalamin. It is a water soluble vitamin that is responsible for the formation of blood. It is also required for the proper functioning of the brain and the nervous system. As you grow older more of the vitamin is required in your body, especially for pregnant and lactating women. It is absorbed in your body with the help of hydrochloric acid and some intrinsic factors that are made in your stomach.

Vitamin B12 is found in fish, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, breakfast cereals, oats, rye and other products that have been fortified with vitamin B12. To specifically buy such foods, check the nutritional label.

How does vitamin B12 help with hair growth?

An important property of vitamin B12 is that it helps in cell replication and DNA formation. There are a lot more vitamins and minerals, required for these processes, but B12 does play an important role here. A deficiency of vitamin B12 may mean difficulties in DNA formation or cell replication. The human hair follicles require this vitamin so that they can replicate properly and grow hair effectively. Also since cobalamin is responsible for the formation of red blood cells, a deficiency may mean that the RBCs(red blood cells) are not saturated with oxygen. The hair follicles again suffer in this regard as they don’t get proper nutrition from the blood stream. This gives rise to hair fall, brittle and breakage prone hair, very slow hair growth or none at all and other hair related issues.

If you have been having problems with hair growth ask your doctor to check if you are suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency. Then focus on correcting its levels in the body. But in any case start with vitamin B12 supplements immediately. There are no adverse effects of this water soluble vitamin.

Supplements to improve biotin levels.

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Simply known as Vitamin H or B7, Biotin is nothing but a water soluble vitamin. It is ideally deemed extremely significant and healthy for hair and nails. Researches over several years have established that Biotin works by regulating the cell metabolism of the body as it metabolizes amino acids and carbohydrates; thereby, converting them into nutrients which in turn provide energy to your body.

Biotin is generally found in eggs, almonds, sardines, whole grain foods and pecans. Dryness of hair and weakness in the nails are some symptoms signifying lack of Biotin in your body. In order to maintain the healthy nature of your nails and hair, one must ensure a balanced level of Biotin in body. There are several kinds of Biotin supplements also available in market these days. However, it is important to maintain a moderate intake of Biotin supplements, so as to sustain the required nutritional value of Vitamin H and B7 in your body.

Appropriate Dosage of Biotin

There are several studies to show that any extra dose of Biotin, over and beyond the required value can cause side effects as well. Further, it has also been reported by these studies that people suffering from lack of Biotin in their body can take aid of the Biotin supplements; however, avoiding any prolonged use of the same. In other words, once the requisite Biotin level is retained in the body, one must stop external consumption of the same so as to avoid any form of side effects.

The ideal amount of Biotin intake is considered to be 5000 Mcg which is equivalent to 5 mg. However, this quantity generally varies depending upon the age of the person. For instance, in the case of Biotin deficiency in kids, it is generally advised to have around 10 to 20 Mcg of Biotin.

Biotin 5000 Mcg Side Effects

Even though Biotin 5000 Mcg is supposed to be an ideal dosage of Biotin, this may even result in certain side effects to several people. Following are some of the probable side effects of Biotin 5000 Mcg, as have been reported earlier in several cases:

Allergic Reaction: This is one of the side effects of taking Biotin 5000 Mcg, especially for people with extremely sensitive skin. They can experience skin eruptions at any part of the body and even itchiness or rashes. Chest and throat tightening are also reported side effects with people suffering from cobalt allergy. Such people are generally advised against intake of any level of Biotin.

Adverse Effects on Blood Glucose: Biotin is one of the essential nutrients for regulating formation of glucose and fatty acids in the body. Therefore, Biotin 5000 Mcg, if deemed to be too excessive for a person, may lead to high sugar levels in the body. Therefore, people suffering from diabetes must be extra careful before taking Biotin 5000 Mcg.

Eosinophilic Pleuropericardial Effusion: Eosinophilic Pleuropericardial effusion can be a life threatening situation if Biotin is taken in excessive quantities. This is a major pulmonary infection which takes place when blood and air enter the lungs through the pleural cavity space. However, such an extreme side effect of Biotin 5000 Mcg is rarely observed.

Before you start taking Biotin 500 Mcg, don’t forget to consult the specialist to avoid any side effects or worsening of the situation.

Top 3 benefits of biotin

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Biotin is better known as vitamin H or coenzyme R. it plays a large role in the production of biochemical energy in your body and is also necessary for cell growth, and metabolism of fats and amino acids. It also helps with maintaining a healthy sugar level in the body. Biotin is found in peanuts, leafy green veggies, raw egg yolk and liver. Most people consume biotin as supplements because no one source is particularly rich in this resource! Biotin deficiency is rare but may cause hair fall, dermatitis, and conjunctivitis.

That was the gist of what biotin can or cannot do. Now let’s focus a little in detail on some lump sum benefits of biotin.

The biotin metabolic benefits

Biotin produces glucose in the body by converting carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is unusually helpful in weight loss efforts as it regulates the production of energy in the body and keeps your metabolism on track. In fact, during an intended weight losing phase, a biotin supplement will do you good and help you lose weight faster. If you have optimum levels of biotin in your body, all kinds of food will be processed quickly.

The biotin hair and nail benefits

You may start feeling that every vitamin is being linked to hair and nail well being these days. Well it’s but true! How healthy or unhealthy you are reflects very clearly in your nail and hair. Brittle hair and nails may show malnutrition, obesity or just a much impeded health. Similarly shiny lustrous hair and healthy nails may reflect inner health and well being.

In fact if you look a little deeper, biotin helps with the growth of healthy hair. It has also been used to treat baldness and hair fall along with other medicines. Also a shampoo containing biotin will save you the dandruff heart break and keep your scalp happy and healthy.

Biotin deficiency doesn’t directly affect hair and nail growth or health. But since it’s a catalyst in other body functions, good levels of biotin will help with these as well. And good health will reflect on hair and nails the fastest.

The biotin general health benefits

After having read till here, it’s but obvious that you know that biotin has benefits for your whole body. It’s a part of the huge B vitamin family and hence works for the entire body. It also keeps your sugar levels down. B12 is responsible for the production of glucose and thus regulates your blood sugar intelligently. Biotin also keeps your sweat glands, bone marrow and nerve tissues in top working condition.

Here’s a tip apart from all this. If you are trying to lose weight and feel fatigued and lethargic after your exercise sessions, then it’s probably a biotin deficiency. Take a daily biotin supplement to aid your weight loss process and see results immediately. If you are suffering from any other health condition, then just consult your doc before you go ahead with this.