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Biotin Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes, and Prevention - Genetic Nutrition

Biotin Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes, and Prevention

, by Sandesh Prasannakumar, 8 min reading time

Vitamins and minerals play a pivotal role in keeping our body healthy and functioning properly. B Vitamins, or Vitamin B complex, is a group of eight water-soluble vitamins that play a myriad of roles in various life processes. They help in producing new blood, generating energy in our body, maintaining healthy hair and skin, etc. Among them is Biotin, Vitamin B7, which helps enzymes break down various nutrients in our body to release energy and keep our hair and skin looking healthy. Biotin deficiency is not detectable by any medical test, which is why only physiological symptoms can tell you if you lack the required amount.

Symptoms of Biotin Deficiency

Biotin deficiency can have a severe impact on your health, but only at a later stage. Most of its early symptoms are dermatological, and that is why it is important to pay attention to these at an early stage so as not to let them aggravate.

  • Hair thinning or clinical hair loss
  • Brittle and soft nails
  • Eczema or scaly skin rashes, especially on the face, eyes, nose, mouth, and anus
  • High acid content in urine
  • Recurring eye infections like conjunctivitis
  • Chronic fatigue and lethargy
  • Several neurological issues, such as hallucinations and seizures
  • Abnormal sensations in limbs like frequent burning, tingling, prickling, numbing sensations in your legs
  • Delay in growth and development
  • Weak muscle tone, also known as hypotonia
  • Sleep apnea
  • Depression
  • Biotin Deficiency Facies - Uneven distribution of fat on the face

The seizures and neurological problems are more severe symptoms that reveal themselves over a longer time. Children who are born with biotin deficiency, which is a rare possibility, can show autistic behaviour.

Causes of Biotin Deficiency

The most common causes of biotin deficiency are inadequate nutritional intake, some underlying medical conditions, side effects of certain medications, etc.

Nutritional Causes of Biotin Deficiency
  • Being on a prenatal diet can cause biotin deficiency. It is believed that almost all pregnant women develop B7 deficiency at some point during pregnancy. 
  • People who consume too many raw eggs can develop biotin deficiency since a protein called Avidin, found in egg white, binds itself tightly to vitamin B7 and doesn’t let it get absorbed by the body.
  • Other nutritional imbalances due to long-term dieting can cause biotin deficiency. A well-balanced diet can reverse the effects.
  • Infants who are fed formula foods that do not contain biotin can develop deficiency over time.
Medicinal Causes of Biotin Deficiency
  • Being on anti-seizure or anti-convulsive medication for a long period of time can cause biotin deficiency.
  • Continuous intake of antibiotics also causes biotin deficiency because antibiotics, while attacking the bad bacteria, also attack the good bacteria in our metabolic pathways, killing the enzymes that help absorb biotin in our body.
Lifestyle-Related Causes of Biotin Deficiency
  • Chronic alcoholism can cause biotin deficiency by decreasing its levels at a cellular level. It also severely impacts the capacity of our intestines to absorb biotin.
  • Smoking, especially in women, has been shown to increase the rate at which biotin breaks down in our bodies, making them marginally deficient.
Underlying Medical & Genetic Causes of Biotin Deficiency
  • Individuals suffering from intestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, where they suffer from diarrhoea and bloody stool, can develop biotin deficiency.
  • This is mostly detected in newborns. Holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency and biotin transport deficiencies can be detected at birth.
  • Individuals suffering from liver diseases like cirrhosis can be biotin deficient.

Steps to Prevent Biotin Deficiency

A well-balanced diet is highly recommended for the prevention of biotin deficiency. However, children born with this deficiency need to be given a prescribed dosage of biotin every day. Individuals with chronic diseases that cause biotin deficiency need constant monitoring. A lot of people also depend on biotin supplements’ however, they can lead to overdose as their biotin content is 300% higher than the required amount.

Our daily biotin requirement is as low as 30 micrograms and can be found in many food groups.

Egg Yolk

Though excessive consumption of egg whites in the raw form can cause biotin deficiency, eating the egg yolk can provide you with B vitamins, protein, and phosphorus. One egg can give you 10 micrograms of biotin

Nuts and Seeds

Different types of edible nuts and seeds have high contents of fiber, protein, and vitamins like biotin. You can incorporate almonds, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts into your diet for a healthy dose of biotin.

Animal Protein and Liver

Chicken or goat liver are good sources of biotin. Around 75-80 gm of liver is sufficient to give your daily dose of biotin. Chicken liver has a higher biotin content.

Legumes

Lentils, peas, soybeans, chickpeas, and beans are legumes that are high in fiber, proteins, and biotin. 100 gm of soybean can give you almost 20 micrograms of biotin, 34% of your daily requirement.

Vegetable and Fruits

Certain vegetables and fruits are rich in Vitamin B7. For example, mushrooms, broccoli, and sweet potatoes can provide you with the required biotin levels. Bananas and avocados are also rich in this vitamin.

Dairy

All forms of dairy products like milk, cheese, and yoghurt contain varying amounts of biotin.

Cereals

Incorporate different kinds of cereals, especially oats, into your breakfast diet to ensure the required intake of biotin.

Conclusion

Though a rare form of deficiency, vitamin B7 or biotin deficiency can lead to serious problems if ignored over time. It is a vitamin essential for us to feel energetic and lively. It helps break down food in our body to generate the energy required for us to function properly. It also affects our mental health and can cause neurological problems and depression if not supplied in adequate amounts. Loss of hair, brittle nails, and frequent scaly rashes on your face or other openings are also symptoms telling you that you need to check your biotin intake. A balanced diet is all you need to remedy these symptoms. There are many food groups that you can incorporate to ensure your daily intake of biotin. Follow the precautionary measures enlisted here and stay healthy and looking young.

For all your protein and supplement needs, visit Genetic Nutrition!

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