Contents:
- Medical Video: The Benefits & Side Effects of Biotin for Hair Growth, Skin & Nails
- How common are people experiencing lack of biotin?
- What are the symptoms when biotin deficiency?
- What impact will it have if the body lacks biotin?
- Who is at risk of experiencing biotin deficiency?
- Pregnant women
- People who use drugs
- People who have biotinidase deficiency
- How to treat people with biotin deficiency?
- Food
- Supplementation
Medical Video: The Benefits & Side Effects of Biotin for Hair Growth, Skin & Nails
The body needs various types of vitamins to control metabolism, including vitamin B7. Vitamin B7 or what is often called biotin is a vitamin that serves to help metabolize carbohydrates and fats into energy, regulate cholesterol in the body and blood sugar, as well as the formation of keratin so that the condition of nails, hair and skin is maintained. Well, do you know what happens if the body lacks biotin? See below for a review.
How common are people experiencing lack of biotin?
Biotin deficiency is actually rare. When people have eaten with complete nutritious food, biotin is usually self-sufficient. Because, many foods around that contain large amounts of vitamin B.But that does not mean there are no people who experience this lack of biotin.
What are the symptoms when biotin deficiency?
- Reddened skin, especially the skin of the face
- Dry and scaly skin
- Dry eyes
- Brittle hair and loss
- Sleeplessness or insomnia
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Depression
- Experience a burning or piercing sensation in the hands and feet
- Muscle ache
- Frequent stomach ache
- The skin of the lips in the corner of the mouth is cracked
- Seizures
- Difficulty walking
What impact will it have if the body lacks biotin?
The impact of lack of biotin can vary, depending also on the symptoms that appear. Most of the effects of biotin deficiencies are skin and hair problems, problems related to the brain and nerves, and also the digestive tract, especially in the intestine.
Reported in Medscape, alopecia totalis can develop from this condition of lack of biotin. Alopecia is a condition of baldness on the scalp. This condition starts from hair that gets faster and becomes brittle and falls out.
From dry and flaky scalp symptoms, it was also found that biotin-deficient babies often experience cradle cap (crust on the head).
At the age of children, biotin deficiency is at an increased risk of hearing loss with varying severity, from mild to severe levels. In the Pediatr Journal Otorhinolaryngol states that 55% of children who develop biotin deficiency develop hearing loss.
In addition, symptoms of seizures due to lack of biotin can have an impact on encephalopathy, which is damage to tissue in the brain.
Who is at risk of experiencing biotin deficiency?
Pregnant women
Biotin is very important for pregnant women. Without biotin, babies can be born with disability. Doctors will advise pregnant women to consume foods that are high in biotin for the growth and development of the fetus in the womb.
People who use drugs
Antibiotics are types of drugs that can destroy good bacteria in the intestine. Basically, this vitamin can be obtained from food and good bacteria in the intestine. If good bacteria or flora in this intestine is destroyed, the bacteria cannot help providing biotin to the body. The risk for experiencing a lack of biotin is even greater.
People who have biotinidase deficiency
People who experience biotinidase deficiency are the most common biotin deficiencies compared to pregnant women and people who take drugs. This is a rare genetic condition.
This condition makes the body unable to use biotin. So, people who experience this disorder always lack biotin.
This is caused by gene mutations. Genes that dictate the body to make biotinidase enzymes to be able to process the incoming biotin from food.
How to treat people with biotin deficiency?
Handling done when experiencing biotin deficiency is done by giving biotin-rich foods, as well as supplementation.
Food
The body of an adult needs around 30 micrograms (mcg) per day, children need 5 mcg per day, and pregnant women need 35 mcg biotin per day. To get vitamin biotin is not difficult in food because all food ingredients usually contain high biotin. Among others:
- Egg yolk
- Sardines
- Nuts, especially almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and soybeans
- Cauliflower
- Banana
- Mushrooms
- Carrot
- Seafood
- Milk, yogurt and cheese
- Sunflower seed
Supplementation
Apart from food, people who lack biotin will be encouraged to take biotin supplements. Biotin supplements have doses of 10, 20 and 100 mcg.
Before using one of these supplements, you should first consult a doctor. Because, it is feared that biotin supplements have interactions with other drugs that you consume.
