Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, generally classified as a B-complex vitamin. After the initial discovery of biotin, nearly forty years of research were required to establish it as a vitamin and categorized as a Vitamin B.
Biotin is required by all organisms but can only be synthesized by bacteria, yeasts, molds, algae, and some plant species. Is this what you think it means? Yes, it's mainly the bacteria in your body that are making this vitamin for you. But don't worry, only the good ones are doing this, and the product of their work will provide you amazing help in improving your health. Studies have shown vitamin b7 biotin may help to promote healthy hair growth and prevent brittle nails.
Vitamin B7 Biotin Hair Loss Treatment
Vitamin B7 Biotin supplements are often recommended as natural products to combat hair loss problems; however, there are no studies that show any benefit of Biotin in treating hair loss where the subject is not actually biotin deficient.
Biotin has been used as a hair growth vitamin, and as well used to prevent (reduce) excessive hair loss. Biotin appears to metabolize fatty acids which are valuable growth components in numerous processes in the body including hair. When an individual is deficient in vitamin B's, especially vitamin B6, biotin, inositol, and folic acid, hair loss can occur. B vitamins such as pantothenic acid, niacin, biotin are especially important for hair growth.
Typical signs and symptoms of biotin deficiency includes hair loss, and in extremely severe biotin deficiency cases includes loss of eye lashes and eye brows. Although there are shampoos which contain biotin, but its effectiveness is questionable since biotin is not absorbed well through the skin. While hair loss is hereditary for many men, maintaining a good, balanced diet that supplies your body with a proper, balanced nutrition can help slow down the hair loss - some balding men may find that taking a Vitamin B7 Biotin supplement can help slowdown their hair loss.
There are various foods that are good sources of biotin, and they include: eggs, liver, milk, yeast, kidney, beef, chicken, peanuts, and cheese.
Basically, you need Biotin to properly use fats and amino acids from your foods. In its physiologically active form, biotin is attached at the active site of four important enzymes, known as carboxylases. Each carboxylase catalyzes an essential metabolic reaction.
As mentioned before, deficiency in Biotin can result hair loss and weak finger nails. Studies in this area is being carried out and the results are not yet clear.
There are no know Biotin side effects; however there are risks of biotin deficiency. On the plus side, Biotin has many health benefits - it's used to treat hair loss and a number of skin disorders.
Vitamin B7 Biotin RDA
In 1998 the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine felt the existing scientific evidence was insufficient to calculate an RDA for biotin, so they set an Adequate Intake level (AI). The AI for biotin assumes that current average intakes of biotin (35 mcg to 60 mcg/day) are meeting the dietary requirement.
Daily recommendations for dietary vitamin B7 are listed below.
