Biotin: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

Biotin

(Vitamin B7, Vitamin H)

Evidence: High
Possible Benefits: Low
Safety: Very High

What is biotin?

Biotin (also known as vitamin B7) is an essential vitamin often used for improving skin health and preventing hair loss. Biotin supplements are among the safest supplements on the market and are definitely worth the try if you are unsure whether or not you’re consuming enough of this vitamin from food. This article is about the main benefits of biotin, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.

What does biotin do for the body?

Biotin is an essential vitamin required for the proper function of at least 5 enzymes.

Vitamin B7 is needed to synthesize fatty acids, which are the major components of the membranes that envelop our cells and all of their compartments. The vitamin also helps convert plant-based fatty acids (such as ALA) to animal-based fatty acids (such as EPA and DHA).

Biotin deficiency

Biotin deficiency can cause red and oily areas on the skin. It can also cause hair to fall out, including eyebrows and eyelashes. Those suffering from a deficiency may get depressed, feel lethargic, and experience tingling, numbness, or a sense of something crawling on their skin.

Extreme cases of deficiency can lead to loss of control over body movements, hallucinations, and seizures. In infants, it causes “floppy baby syndrome” from low muscle tone, as well as fatigue and slower development.

Possible benefits

It is important to note that all of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. Generally, the higher the dose, the more pronounced the effects are. However, they do reach a plateau at a certain point. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.

Major benefits

Preventing or correcting biotin deficiency – Biotin supplements contain free biotin, which is the same form found in food. They are highly bioavailable and effective at treating a deficiency.

Possible side effects

Biotin supplements are among the safest supplements on the market with no apparent side effects.

Contamination – Contaminated supplements are uncommon in the USA and other well-regulated countries. However, if you wish to buy products from China, India, or other countries without strict regulations, beware that the supplements may be contaminated. Either way, you need to choose the brand you order from wisely. It is highly recommended to check the certificates or read through some reviews for the specific product before you buy it. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has the power to regulate dietary supplements but can only do so after they have been on the market for a while. That’s because supplement companies are not obligated to announce to the FDA when releasing a new product on the market. The FDA has to discover the product and test it for potential impurities, which can take a lot of time. During that time, the supplement can be sold on the market even if it’s impure. Also, supplement companies can change their manufacturers without announcing it to the FDA.

Who should not take biotin?

You should probably avoid taking the supplement if you:

already consume enough biotin from food
experience an adverse reaction after taking the supplement
are on a tight supplement budget (since there are more cost-effective supplements on the market for most people)

Who will benefit the most?

You should consider taking the supplement if you:

experience symptoms of deficiency
eat egg whites but not egg yolks (egg whites contain a protein called albumin which binds to biotin and makes it unavailable to the body, sometimes leading to a deficiency)
do not get enough of this vitamin from food
are pregnant (pregnant women do not need significantly more vitamin B7 but a deficiency could have terrible consequences for the child)
drink lots of alcohol
undergo dialysis, a treatment for poor kidney function
suffer from certain gastrointestinal diseases
have a high budget for supplements (assuming that the supplement doesn’t contain impurities, it appears to be safe in most cases and rarely does more harm than good if you stick to regular doses)

How much biotin should you take?

The adequate intake (AI) for this nutrient is set at 30 mcg/d for all adults except nursing women, who need 35 mcg/d. These amounts should be enough for most people.

Some people need more vitamin B7 than others. These include alcoholics and people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases.

Biotin supplements are very cheap to produce and are sold in very high doses compared to how much we need. Most supplements on the market contain 10 mg of biotin, which is 333x more than the AI.

Fortunately, biotin has one of the best safety profiles out of all dietary supplements. No toxicity was ever reported even at extremely high doses.

While it should be safe, there is no need to take more than 10 mg/d. Do not take more unless you have a great reason to do so.

Food sources of biotin

The richest food sources are liver and egg yolks. Egg whites contain little to no biotin and high amounts of albumin, a protein that binds to vitamin B7 and makes it unavailable to the body. This is why a biotin deficiency was called an egg white injury before this vitamin was discovered. Fortunately, cooking destroys 30-95% of albumin.

Here are some estimated amounts of biotin per 100 grams of food:
Whole eggs = 21.4 mcg
Peanuts = 17.8 mcg
Sunflower seeds = 7.6 mcg
Muscle meat = 4.3 mcg
Almonds = 4.3 mcg
Walnuts = 2.5 mcg
Pecans = 2.1 mcg
Broccoli = 0.9 mcg
Avocados = 0.9 mcg

Nuts and seeds are generally the richest plant-based sources of this vitamin, followed by fruits and vegetables.

Best time to take biotin

The nutrient is water-soluble, so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well. Taking the supplement with food is better if it causes stomach upset when you take it on an empty stomach.

Whether you take the supplement in the morning or the evening doesn’t matter. It does not interrupt your sleep in any way.

Interactions

Vitamin B5
Biotin is needed for the proper function of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), which is why biotin deficiency can lead to symptoms of vitamin B5 deficiency even if you get enough B5.

Where to buy biotin

Amazon is the best option for ordering biotin supplements in most countries. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the internet.

Beware some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

FAQ

You can take the supplement daily and do not need to cycle it. However, it is certainly not a problem if you don’t take it daily. Not taking the supplement every once in a while could lead to better absorption.

All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes some time that can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they often contain bovine gelatin, which rarely comes from an ethical source.

Yes. The nutrient doesn’t impact your sleep in any negative way in the short term.

The supplements should not become harmful once they exceed the expiration date, but they can lose potency over time.

Keep the supplements in a cold, dark, and dry place, and they should remain just as potent for many months or even years.

Biotin supplements do not directly reduce acne. They may indirectly help by improving your overall health if you are deficient in the nutrient.

Biotin is one of the safest supplements on the market with no known toxicity. With that said, there is little to no reason to take more than 10 mg/d.

You may need more of the nutrient if you:
– experience symptoms of biotin deficiency
– eat egg whites but not egg yolks (egg whites contain a protein called albumin which binds to biotin and makes it unavailable to the body, sometimes leading to a deficiency)
– are pregnant (pregnant women do not need significantly more vitamin B7 but a deficiency could have terrible consequences for the child)
– suffer from certain gastrointestinal diseases
– drink alcohol
– undergo dialysis, a treatment for poor kidney function

The half-life of biotin in the body is about 2 hours. The nutrient stays in your system for about 8 hours after you consume it.

In the long term, it typically takes about 2-4 weeks of taking the supplement to begin noticing the benefits.

Most biotin supplements on the market are vegan-friendly but always check the label to be sure. If you buy the vitamin in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

The nutrient is water-soluble, so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well.

No, it doesn’t. The supplement does not interfere with fasting in any significant way.

References

Most of the information provided in this guide is supported by scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything said in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

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