Biotin supplements claim they "back up" healthy skin, hair, and nails.
But unless you're deficient in biotin, these supplements aren't going to do much. (And biotin deficiency is extremely rare.)
These supplements are generally a waste of money.
Stroll down the vitamin aisle in any drugstore and you'll probably find a bunch of bottles that look like this:
Caroline Praderio/INSIDER
Whether it comes in sticky form or pill course, the merits is always the aforementioned: Taking biotin, the labels merits, will assistance yous get healthy pilus, skin, and nails.
The problem is that — fifty-fifty if yous accept it religiously — a biotin supplement probably won't modify your hair, nails, or pare at all.
INSIDER spoke with dietitian Andy Bellatti, MS, RD, to learn why. Here'due south what yous need to know.
Biotin is some other proper noun for vitamin B7.
Just like all the other vitamins, it'southward something that your trunk needs to survive simply tin can't make on its ain. That ways y'all need to go it from food or supplements.
And it's got a couple functions inside your body. Along with all the other B vitamins, biotin plays a role in helping your cells convert food into energy.
"But one thing that biotin does specifically is that it is involved in the infrastructure of keratin," Bellatti told INSIDER. "Keratin is a protein in hair, skin, and nails."
So at that place is a real link between biotin and your pare, hair, and nails. In fact, being scarce in biotin can cause symptoms like thinning pilus, pare rashes, and brittle nails. And Bellatti said at that place has been research showing that biotin supplements improve pilus and nails in people who don't take enough of the nutrient to brainstorm with.
Only you lot probably aren't scarce in biotin.
Eggs are a good source of biotin. Mike McCune/Flickr
"Biotin deficiencies are really rare, mainly because it'southward plant in then many foods, and likewise because you don't even demand all that much," Bellatti said.
We only need xxx to 100 micrograms a day, and it'south likely that you're already getting what y'all need from your nutrition. Information technology'southward in a wide variety of foods but some of the nearly common sources arebananas, eggs, whole grains, soy, nuts, seeds, salmon, and pork.
And there'southward no reason to believe that people with normal biotin levels will benefit from taking extra.
Bellatti said he'southward not aware of whatever stiff evidence that biotin tin can improve hair, peel, or nails of people who don't have a biotin deficiency or some existing hair/pare/nail problem. If your hair and biotin levels are already normal and you lot just want it to grow faster or longer, biotin pills aren't going to do much.
This is especially true when it comes to improving pare. "If somebody wants better skin I wouldn't even put biotin anywhere near the pinnacle ten things they should be looking at," he said. (A better programme, according to Bellatti: Less added sugar and alcohol, more vitamin C and omega-3 fats.)
Don't bank on biotin radically irresolute your hair. Monthira/Shutterstock
If you have been taking a biotin supplement, you lot don't demand to worry. Since backlog B vitamins are flushed out with your urine (rather than stored in the trunk), it'south tough to overdose on them. The National Institutes of Health says that at that place'south no testify of high biotin intake being toxic to humans. But in that location is some evidence that big doses of biotin can mess with lab tests for hormones. As always: Make sure you tell your md nearly every medication or supplement you take, even it's something you become over the counter.
And — when your current bottle of biotin runs out — just know there's probably no reason to supplant it.
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