|
I wanted to write about biotin this month, a B vitamin that is most well known for its benefit for hair and nails, and rightly so- it’s really amazing for strengthening the hair and nails as well as preventing hair loss.
The earliest research on biotin was done mainly with veterinary literature, where biotin was found to increase the strength and hardness of pigs and horses hooves. Those hooves are made of keratin, the same material our nails are made of, as well as our hair strands. The discovery that biotin made such a difference for the hooves (nails) of animals inspired the research to continue to humans.
Many of our customers have had great results for their hair and nails after supplementing with biotin that has also been confirmed by research studies in humans. One such study found that supplementing with biotin at a dose of 2500mcg a day increased the thickness of the human nail plate by 25%. Ninety-one percent of people taking that dosage experienced definite improvement in their nails, especially people who complained of weak, brittle nails before supplementation.
A deficiency in biotin can cause hair loss, and biotin supplementation has been linked to a reduction in hair loss and thinning hair. Other research has confirmed that biotin supplementation helps with brittle nails and thinning hair in people diagnosed with nail issues and poor hair growth. One 2015 study (linked here) found that 90 days of biotin supplementation helped women with hair loss to increase their hair density as well as reduce the shedding of hair. Additional studies have had participants report positive results on the appearance of hair and thickness after 90 days, which increased the longer that people took the biotin supplements.
In addition to biotin’s benefits for hair and nails, biotin can also be beneficial for cardiovascular health as well as increasing blood sugar sensitivity. Biotin appears to help increase the activity of specific liver enzymes that help the liver to utilize blood sugar. When those enzymes are activated, the liver is able to pull sugar from the blood to be properly metabolized. In one study, participants who took 8mg of biotin twice daily resulted in significant improvements in fasting blood sugar levels and blood sugar control in type 1 diabetics. Other research has reported that biotin combined with chromium (a mineral that can help with balancing blood sugar) was effective in reducing blood sugar levels as well as lowering triglyceride levels in the blood of type 2 diabetes patients.
High dose biotin supplementation has also been researched in some very groundbreaking studies on multiple sclerosis, though the research is still in its early stages. I just wanted to mention it since it’s always exciting when vitamins that have been around forever are found to be beneficial in new, previously unknown ways.
Supplementing with biotin for hair and nails definitely has benefits, but keep in mind that it’s more of a long term thing (most studies were for at least 90 days), since it takes time to made a difference in hair and nail strength. Biotin is a water soluble B vitamin, which means that whatever the body does not use is excreted, making biotin an extremely safe supplement to take. High dose biotin can interfere with some blood tests (it’s not harmful, but something to be aware of), so it’s recommended to stop taking biotin for a week before a blood panel, or to mention your biotin supplementation to your physician (which is good advice for all supplements).
|
