Biotin has been called by other names, such as Vitamin H, and B7. It does some of the same types of actions as other B family members do. It helps with digestion and utilization of carbs, proteins and fats.
It's very helpful to pregnant women as it can overcome extreme nausea and vomiting. If a woman is deficient, it may increase the possibility of a baby coming prematurely and may restrict its growth and proper development.
If a woman chooses to breastfeed her baby, it's suggested that she may need two or three times the amount of biotin that she would normally take during pregnancy. health.com. "Benefits of Biotin."
Even babies can show symptoms of deficiency. These would include lethargy, a delay in development, poor muscle tone, withdrawn behavior, and some problems with nerve function. (This is from my files from an outdated document).
There have been several articles written about the helpfulness of biotin in causing hair to grow and strengthening weak fingernails. (As an aside, it also helps horses' hooves to be strong and free of cracks. (madbarn.com)
Some other ways biotin is helpful include easing emotional fragility, chronic fatigue, and muscle pain. It helps with dry skin and slows graying of hair. It eases hair loss and helps keep hair from breaking. Again, certain other vitamins in the family also help you keep your hair on your head and natural color in the hair shaft.
Biotin also helps in the proper development of white blood cells. This includes the cells that fight infection from viruses or bacteria. It also helps increase insulin production in your pancreas. In this way, it helps lower blood sugar levels. It's even been known to reduce the neuropathic pains that some diabetic patients suffer.
Another area in which biotin is valuable is in the working of your brain. It protects against degenerative brain patterns and can increase your ability to think clearly and aid in recall. It's one thing to file things away in your brain, but it's very helpful to be able to pull that information front and center when you need it.
Some things can prevent the uptake of biotin in the diet. Certain medications for epileptics may cause a deficiency. Alcohol intake can destroy it as well as raw egg whites. (This is a reason to never feed an animal or human raw egg whites ). The avidin in the white binds biotin which is naturally in the yolk, making it unavailable. Cooking the white neutralizes avidin. Long-term antibiotic use can also destroy the gut bacteria which help produce biotin. Long-term dialysis can prevent the absorption of biotin.
So what about symptoms of deficiency? Unusual fatigue, emotional fragility, and depression that won't go away, all may be symptoms. Others can be chronic hair loss, a scaly rash, a feeling of pins and needles in the fingers and toes, and irritated eyes. The feeling of prickles can also be caused by a shortage of others in the B family which is another good reason to take a full supplement rather than an isolated B member.
Because biotin is important in the assimilation of foods, a deficiency can include weight gain or loss depending on your genetics.
As I indicated, the body can manufacture biotin from helper bacteria in the gut. However, so many people are having digestive problems that it might be a good idea to daily include foods that contain biotin. Biotin can help diabetics control their blood sugar. medicalnewstoday.com indicated that people having psoriasis might find biotin beneficial.
Multiple Sclerosis is a condition in which the roller bandage-like protection over each of the body's nerves (myelin sheath) is damaged. It has been used recently in some instances to protect the nerves and ease the symptoms of MS.
Here are foods that contain Biotin. It's wise to add some of these to your daily food intake. Egg yolk, milk, brewer's yeast, salmon, turkey breast, organ meats, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds.
It takes more work in our day to stay healthy than in any preceding generation. The knowledge of what our body needs is a good place to start.
Stay healthy.
Nancy Pidutti, PhD (NHH), RN, Author, Chaplain
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