Healthy skin, nails and hair with Biotin

The most commonly discussed B vitamins are usually B3 (niacin), B6, and B12, as they are known for their positive impact on stress, fatigue, and neurological development. However, there is one B vitamin that is commonly overlooked but just as important--biotin.

Biotin was discovered during research on chickens in the late 1930s and early 1940s. When chicks fed diets high in raw egg white consistently developed skin rashes and lost the hair around their eyes, biotin-rich egg yolk was added to the chicks' diet and the symptoms disappeared.

Originally referred to as vitamin H (for haut, the German word for skin), biotin is one of the least familiar of the B-complex vitamins. It is a water-soluble vitamin produced in the body by certain types of intestinal bacteria and obtained through food. Biotin is necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids (the building blocks of protein).

Biotin is required to produce the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase. This process is the most important step in the biosynthesis of fatty acids and is critical for cell functioning, especially for the cell membrane. The biosynthesis of fatty acids is especially critical for skin cells for two reasons. First, skin cells die and must be quickly replaced, second, skin cells are in contact with the outside environment and serve as a protective barrier. A deficiency in biotin can lead to a breakdown in fatty acid production, resulting in skin cells being the earliest cells to develop problems.

So how do biotin deficiencies manifest? In infants, the most common biotin-deficiency symptom is cradle cap--a skin condition in which crusty yellowish/whitish patches appear around the infant's scalp, head, eyebrows, and on skin behind the ears.

In adults, this skin condition is commonly referred to as seborrheic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin of unknown cause or origin. The condition is characterized by moderate redness, dry, moist, or greasy scaling, and yellow crusted patches on various areas. These include mid-parts of the face, ears, around the eyes, the navel, genitalia, and especially the scalp.

A biotin deficiency can also manifest as thin, splitting, or brittle toenails and fingernails, as well as hair loss.

Good food sources of biotin include swiss chard, brewer's yeast, oat bran, organ meats (liver kidney), and cooked eggs, especially egg yolk. Other good sources include nut and nut butters (almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts), soybeans, and other legumes like beans and blackeyed peas.

It should be noted that consumption of raw egg whites, however, can contribute to a biotin deficiency, as avidin (the glycoprotein substance in egg white) can bind to biotin and prevent its absorption. Cooking the whole egg prevents the binding of biotin with avidin.

When taking a biotin supplement, experts recommend D-biotin, the only known metabolically active form of biotin. The recommended dose is 300 micrograms alone or with brewer's yeast.

Not only can biotin help support healthy skin through proper fatty acid production, it can also help prevent hair loss, muscle cramps, lack of muscle tone, and inflammatory bowel syndrome or disease.

Biotin can be found at most major retailers.