Is it wrong to take biotin supplements for hair loss and nails?
Biotin , also known as vitamin H or B7 , according to the nomenclature, is a vitamin stable heat-stable, soluble in alcohol and water and highly oxidizable that participates decisively in the metabolism of sugars, fats, amino acids and vitamins. purines. Hence, it is considered vital, and more if we take into account that we can not synthesize it.
If it is found in low plasma levels, it can cause dermatitis and alopecia , as well as brittle nails among other problems. However, it seems difficult to have a deficit of biotin, unlike other vitamins, because it is very present in many foods and also the amounts required are low: over 200 micrograms in children and over 300 micrograms in adults.
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Egg yolk, nuts, fish, organ meats , etc., contain abundant biotin. On the other hand, some studies suggest that a significant amount of our biotin requirements come from the microbiota or intestinal flora , where various bacteria synthesize it to be absorbed by our intestine. From this it can be deduced that the biotin deficit could only occur in case we had a significant alteration of the microbiota, perhaps derived from an irritable bowel syndrome or some other autoimmune disorder, and that our diet was very deficient.
Do biotin supplements work?
For these cases biotin supplements are prescribed, which in fact in the common people can strengthen the production of keratin and hair. It is normal that while these supplements are taken the hair grows faster and even in places where until now it was weak, and so do the nails. However, according to the prestigious American magazine Consumer Reports , a reference in the sector, it has not been proven to date that biotin supplements are effective in preventing or reversing alopecia .
That is to say that although they reinforce the hair, they can not stop its fall, due to the death of the follicle, not to its vigor in the production of hair protein. In this way, Jordi should clarify, with the data that you have in hand, that his "pelazo" is probably due to his genetics more than to the supplements and that is not ruled out that the stress of hair loss gives feedback to the alopecia, surely the drug had in its day a positive placebo effect by eliminating tension.
Do they have side effects?
On the other hand, Consumer Reports also warns that these supplements provide 5,000 micrograms per dose, which is 15 times the dose needed for metabolism , which creates an excess of plasma biotin with unknown consequences. At the moment it has only been possible to certify that the excess of biotin can mask serious problems in certain blood tests, according to the aforementioned publication, which recommends informing the doctor about the intake of this supplement before undergoing an analysis.
For its part, the Ministry of Health, through the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products, says in the technical file of Medebiotin Fuerte that our body is perfectly capable of eliminating half the dose in unaltered form of the compound and the other half in by-products, without having described any type of intoxication due to excess intake. It also does not report adverse effects.
A health website points to problems of overfeeding the fetus or the baby in the case of pregnant or lactating women, but the technical data sheet discards them completely, inferring that it is a perfectly metabolizable substance. There is also no reference to studies that indicate that in the long term it may cause infertility problems in women .
So we could tell Jordi that he should not worry about the effects of the Biotin supplement, although in case of a blood test, he should warn the doctor or doctor who orders it or directly stop taking it during the previous days. Overall, it seems that it does not do anything, neither for good nor for bad. And applying common sense, advise him to stop taking it, at least facing his pocket, because as Consumer Reports says, we do not need biotin supplements .