People who want to grow thicker, fuller hair or stronger, healthier nails see a lot of commercials and product recommendations.
Could biotin supplements offer a solution to these common beauty concerns?
Proponents tout biotin’s potential benefits for hair, nails, and more. But do they benefit some people more than others, and how necessary are supplements?
Biotin deficiency is a relatively rare condition. According to Healthline, eating a balanced diet is important for most people to get enough biotin (also known as vitamin B7).
We asked experts to find out more about what you need to know about biotin.
What does biotin do?
Misbah K. Keene, MD, MBI, MPH, professor of family medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said biotin supports several functions in the body, including carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.
Biotin also plays an important role in supporting the structure of keratin, a protein essential to maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails, Keene previously told USA TODAY.
According to Mount Sinai, during pregnancy, biotin is an essential nutrient that supports fetal growth.
Who is at risk for biotin deficiency?
Dr. Barbara Bower, a family medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said it’s important to understand that most people can meet their biotin needs simply by eating a variety of foods rich in biotin, such as eggs, seeds, nuts, meat, and fish.
Although biotin deficiency is very rare, Keene says experiencing a biotin deficiency can cause a variety of side effects, including hair thinning or hair loss, brittle nails, a red, scaly rash (around the eyes, nose, and mouth), swelling and pain in the tongue, neurological changes (such as numbness or tingling), and changes in mental health (such as depression or lethargy).
A very small number of people are born without the enzyme biotinidase. This is an inherited disease that affects an individual’s biotin metabolism, said Dr. Lydia Bal, a physician at Stanford Health. According to NCBI, global estimates range from 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 60,000 people with biotinidase deficiency.
Although rare, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding are at increased risk of experiencing biotin deficiency. Bower explained why this happens because your body metabolizes biotin faster during pregnancy. During breastfeeding, “you tend to secrete more biotin, so you’re at higher risk for biotin deficiency,” she says.
People with chronic alcohol dependence and those taking anti-epileptic drugs for long periods are also at risk for biotin deficiency, Keene added. “These can interfere with biotin metabolism and absorption,” he says.
Who can benefit from biotin supplements?
“Biotin supplements are used to prevent and treat biotin deficiencies, and people with biotin deficiency may benefit from taking biotin supplements,” Bal said.
Biotin supplements should always be taken under medical supervision, emphasizes Sara Hemeida, MD, MPH, assistant professor and family physician in the UT Southwestern Department of Family Medicine and co-director of Empower Health, a women’s health education program focused on dispelling cultural misinformation.
The appropriate intake (AI) for biotin is 30 micrograms per day for adults and 8 to 12 micrograms per day for children, Bal said. However, depending on the patient and the severity of biotin deficiency, the dosage will vary. For example, Bal noted that in some cases, treatment may require taking as much as 10 mg of biotin supplements per day.
Biotin supplements may be beneficial during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when maintaining healthy biotin levels is especially important, Hemeida said. There are risks to taking biotin supplements during pregnancy, so she recommended always talking to your doctor first.
Does biotin promote hair growth?
Unfortunately, for most people, taking biotin supplements does not seem to have a significant effect on hair growth. “Biotin is widely marketed for hair loss, but the evidence supporting its effectiveness is mixed,” Keene says.
According to a 2017 review, some studies have shown that biotin supplementation had positive results on hair growth in people with acquired or genetic biotin deficiencies. However, such cases are still relatively rare.
The same review concluded that in healthy people who are not deficient in biotin, biotin supplementation likely has no effect on hair growth.
Does biotin support nail health?
Some small clinical trials have shown that biotin supplements may help strengthen brittle nails by improving their hardness, thickness, and firmness.
But unless you’re deficient in biotin, biotin supplements likely won’t be effective in strengthening your nails, says Dr. Amy McMichael, a FAAD board-certified dermatologist and professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
If your nails are brittle and break easily, use biotin supplements as a short-term treatment, McMichael said. However, if you’re considering taking any supplements for your nail health, always consult a board-certified dermatologist first, McMichael stressed.
What are the downsides to taking biotin?
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, Hemeida said, meaning that “if supplied in excess, it is excreted through the urine.” Overall, biotin is considered a “very safe vitamin.”
But Hemeida cautioned that “too much of a good thing about biotin. Biotin can prevent us from accurately diagnosing other important problems” and could affect the results of certain laboratory tests.
“So we’re currently recommending that patients don’t actually take biotin unless they have a biotin deficiency, and that’s been proven by doctors,” McMichael said.
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