Although also called vitamin H, vitamin B8 (or biotin) is an essential vitamin for health. Among other things so that your hair does not fall out, and helps to avoid Type II Diabetes.
Increasingly used by beauty specialists because its effects are highly effective is also considered the vitamin of beauty.
Vitamin B8 is a water-soluble vitamin from which most people have little knowledge. It is known that one of its main functions is exercised in the metabolism of amino acids, and contributes to the preservation of the good condition of the skin, nerves and hair.
We can find biotin in a large amount of food, which is why it is not necessary to take vitamin supplements containing this vitamin (biotin).
However, people who follow a vegetarian dietary plan, also low in fat and cholesterol, generally have equally low levels of biotin, should include foods that contain this vitamin or may need supplements.
Also in people suffering from disorders of the kidney or intestine that prevent the absorption of this vitamin may be needed to ingest this in the form of supplements.
Because biotin is absorbed mostly through meals and requirements are low, and it seems that some bacteria in the intestine can produce up to fifty percent of the daily requirement, it is rare for a deficiency.
Main functions of biotin
What is it for?
Vitamin B8 intervenes, for example, in the growth, and in the physiological condition of the nervous tissue, the skin, the hair, the sebaceous glands and the blood cells, also intervening in the formation of hemoglobin.
It is without any doubt essential in the metabolism of proteins and lipids, and according to some experts, biotin in addition to maintaining blood sugar levels, helps prevent diabetic neuropathy and lose weight by intervening in your metabolism.
Its benefits
• Contributes to metabolic processes
• Help in the use of folic acid and pantothenic acid
• Provides more elasticity and resistance to hair
• Promotes hydration of the skin. Avoid seborrheic diseases
• Strengthens nail cuticles
• Relieves muscle pain, eczema and dermatitis
• Combat depression and insomnia
In which foods are you ?:
Biotin is widely distributed in foods, mainly in kidney, liver, egg yolk, mushrooms, some vegetables, in fruits such as (banana, grape, watermelon and strawberries, peanuts, milk, almonds, nuts, dried peas, and in the royal jelly.
We also find it in smaller amounts in foods such as chicken, lamb, fatty fish, wholemeal bread, brown rice, oats, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, chickpeas, soybeans, mushrooms in some vegetables such as cauliflower and potatoes,
Symptoms of lack of biotin:
Although it occurs rarely because the minimum requirements are low and are covered through food the symptoms of a lack are given in:
Hair loss, Deterioration of nails, Visible damage to skin health, Vomiting, Conjunctivitis, Seizures, Seborrheic dermatitis