Does your hair slough off? Does your skin peel away? Do your nails break or grow too fast - then you might need a boost to your health and its benefits! Biotin is a supplement that has been proven to deliver multiple health benefits. Learn about the science behind this supplement, let's try it for a month and find out if we agree with the hype!
What is Biotin?
According to WebMD, biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for human health. It helps form the structural proteins in your body and supports nerve function. You can find biotin in many animal-based foods including legumes, soy products, fish, eggs, and dairy. Some people also take biotin supplements to increase their intake.
Biotin Deficiency
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that serves as an essential co-factor for several enzymes in the body. It is also known to play a role in lipid metabolism and neurological health.
Symptoms of biotin deficiency can vary but may include poor hair and nail growth, dry skin, persistent allergies, and difficulty fighting off infections. There are many ways to get your biotin fix.
The best way to ensure you are getting the recommended daily amount (RDA) of biotin is through supplementation. Some good dietary sources of biotin include nuts, seeds, legumes, brewer’s yeast, and whole grains.
If you’re not comfortable taking supplements or don’t enjoy consuming varied sources of food, there are various biosimilars available that provide the same level of bioavailability as biotin from natural sources.
Benefits of Greater Biotin Levels
1. Biotin is a vitamin-like mineral that is essential for the body's normal functioning. It helps to maintain nerve cell health and protects against deficiencies in other vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
2. One of the most important ways biotin helps the body is by helping to make copies of DNA. This makes it an important part of the process of building and maintaining cells.
3. Biotin also helps to break down food into energy which can be used by cells. It is also responsible for helping to create new proteins.
4. One of the biggest benefits of taking biotin supplements is that they are linked with a reduced risk of developing problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
How to Increase Your Basal Biotin Levels
Basal Biotin levels have been shown to correlate with the incidence of various diseases and conditions, including cancer. It has been theorized that if your basal Biotin level is low, this may lead to further deficiencies in other areas of your biochemistry due to a lack of essential cofactors.
To increase your basal Biotin levels, consider taking these supplements: -A biotin supplement that provides 500mcg/day is typically adequate. -Some foods contain biotins, such as egg yolks and liver.
However, these sources are limited and may not provide the same level of benefits as taking a supplement. For best results, try to take a biotin supplement daily.
The Negative Effects of Too Few Biotin Levels
As we age, our ability to create biotin declines. Often, this is chalked up to a decrease in the number of bacteria in the gut. But there are other potential sources of deficiency as well. Two major dietary sources of biotin are eggs and poultry.
It's especially important to make sure you're getting enough biotin if you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet since these foods generally lack meat-based proteins which are rich in biotin.
In fact, many plant-based proteins contain only trace amounts of the nutrient which can lead to lower levels of biotin in the body
[1]. Beyond our food intake, another way that biotin can become depleted is through skin exposure to sunlight.
[2]. As we age, our skin becomes less able to protect us from the sun’s damaging rays which can result in low levels of biotin in the body.
[3]. Finally, some people may experience deficiencies because they have a genetic disorder that prevents them from absorbing biotin properly.
[4]. So even if you're not experiencing any obvious signs of an underlying deficiency, it's still important to make sure you're taking enough biotin regularly.
Tips For Getting Enough Biotin
Here are some tips for ensuring you're getting enough:
- Eat plenty of meat and poultry, which are both high in biotin
- Include plant-based proteins in your diet to increase the amount of biotin you're getting
- Get plenty of sunlight exposure to help your skin produce more biotin
- If you have a genetic disorder that limits your absorption of biotin, speak with your doctor about supplements that may help increase your intake.
5 Reasons Why You Should Take Biotin Now
Biotin is a nutrient that is known for its ability to improve hair and skin problems. Better hair and skin can lead to a more confident appearance, which can in turn make you happier.
Here are some of the reasons why you should be taking biotin:
1. Biotin is essential for healthy nails: Without enough biotin, your nails will not grow properly. This means that you may have thinner, weaker nails that are easily broken. Taking biotin can help keep your nails healthy and strong.
2. Biotin helps hydrate the hair: The cells in your hair are constantly losing water and nutrients. Biotin helps to deliver these important nutrients to the hair follicles so that they can be used in the hair growth cycle. This can help to promote thicker, healthier hair strands.
3. Biotin deficiency may lead to poor vision: One of the ways that biotin can help improve your skin and hair is by helping to maintain proper cell function throughout your body.
4. Biotin deficiencies may lead to an increased risk of developing poor vision problems, including poor eyesight due to macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness) and glaucoma (a serious eye disease).
5. Consuming biotin regularly may help offset any potential risks associated with a lack of this important nutrient.
How to take Biotin
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that is found in foods like brewer’s yeast and legumes. It helps the body make energy from food by helping to transfer carbohydrates into the cell for energy production.
There are many reasons why you should be taking biotin:
1) Biotin deficiency is common and can lead to muscle weakness, poor skin health, reduced immune function, and weakened nails. Vitamins B6 and B12 are important for biotin absorption so it’s important to ensure you are getting enough of both.
2) Taking biotin before exercise can help improve your workout performance. A study published in Nutrition Journal found that supplementation with 50mg of biotin before resistance training increased muscle strength, endurance, and power by an average of 16%. The researchers concluded that
“high doses (50 mg/day) supplementation of [biotin] may support the enhancement of endogenous antioxidant defense enzymes through signaling pathways such as AMPK-SIRT1-PGC-1alpha”.
3) Taking biotin can improve hair health. A 2012 study published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry showed that mice supplemented with 800μg/day of biotin had improved hair quality compared to controls.
4) This could be because biotin helps regulate the inflammatory response in the hair follicle, or because it promotes better hair growth.
Biotin Alternatives/Supplements
The use of biotin supplements has surged in popularity in the past few years due to a growing body of scientific evidence that biotin may be beneficial for your health. While there are a variety of reasons why you might want to take biotin, here are just a few:
Biotin may help improve hair and nail growth. Biotin can help improve cognitive function and build muscle mass. Biotin can help protect your skin from age-related damage. Biotin can reduce symptoms of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and psoriasis.
Conclusion
Perhaps you've heard that biotin is a miracle supplement that can help you boost your immune system, lose weight, and improve overall health. But are these claims legit? In this article, we have explored five reasons why you should be taking biotin right now — and why it could be the key to improved well-being for you.