Who has a higher risk of vitamin B7 (biotin) deficiency? Could you lack biotin?
BIOTIN deficiency is a rare disorder, but there are certain populations with an increased risk of this disability. Find out what signs you should watch and if you are part of high-risk populations susceptible to a vitamin B7 deficit.
Biotin is an important cofactor in numerous reactions throughout your body. It is something that we naturally can not produce ourselves, but fortunately, numerous foods rich in biotin are easy to obtain in any supermarket. Even if biotin deficiencies are rare, certain conditions can predispose you to deficiencies in biotin. There are numerous claims that biotin supplementation is something that can benefit you for the treatment of hair loss . Here, we will investigate what signs to observe when suffering from a biotin deficiency and have a higher risk of biotin deficiency.
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Signs that you may be suffering from a biotin deficiency
Some of the first signs that you may be suffering from a biotin deficit would be when you begin to notice the premature loss of hair. As we have seen in previous research, it is one reason why patients suffering from hair loss use biotin for hair growth. If this insufficiency in biotin persists, you may begin to notice more systemic effects such as dermatitis, ataxia, concentration problems, seizures and even mental retardation in pediatric cases if these problems are not corrected immediately.
If you are wondering if "biotin can help my brittle nails", it is also possible in some circumstances, but patients suffering from biotin deficiencies will almost always have problems with their nail beds and eventually develop nail fractures easily.
Not only are the skin and brain signs possible when dealing with a biotin deficiency, patients suffering from this condition can also have problems with their immune system when they lose this necessary enzyme. Biotin is an important factor in our innate immune system and our adaptive system, and if you lack this important enzyme, you are more likely to suffer from opportunistic infections.
The metabolism of lipids also depends on biotin and patients lacking this vitamin will have some obvious clinical changes. We need biotin to help us process the fats and lipids we eat and patients suffering from lack of biotin will have high levels of lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides and free fatty acids compared to the normal population.
What risk factors should you consider?
Now that you know some of the signs you should watch, it is important to know if you can take a greater risk yourself. Even if biotin deficiencies are rare, certain populations are at higher risk and should be vigilant.
Some studies indicate that approximately 50 percent of pregnant women are marginally deficient in biotin. This slight deficiency can be much more problematic in the fetus due to the importance of biotin in fetal development. Several studies in animals and some in human populations suggest that even small decreases in biotin levels during the early stages of pregnancy can be teratogenic. This means that pregnancy can end spontaneously, so it is imperative that pregnant mothers monitor their intake of biotin throughout pregnancy.
Any type of digestion problem can also lead to defects in the absorption of biotin. Several studies indicate that patients who suffer from any type of intestinal ailment or who had recent stomach surgery may not be able to absorb enough biotin in their diets and are at risk.
The last group of patients we will focus on are those who probably will not venture into hospitals in the first place. Bodybuilders or people who try to build muscle mass through high-carbohydrate diets have an increased risk of biotin deficiencies due to the diets they ingest. To begin with, a group of common foods that bodybuilders ingest would be raw eggs to increase the amount of protein consumed in their diet. Unfortunately, avidin, a common protein found in raw eggs, binds easily to biotin and prevents our intestines from absorbing the biotin we need.
Another group of foods that this population will gravitate naturally would be high carbohydrate grains. These foods have a large amount of biotin in their composition, but due to the complex nature of these carbohydrates, it takes people a long time to decompose and digest these products so that we can not extract as many nutrients as we can. Those who continually eat these foods in replacement of meats, vegetables or dairy products will develop biotin deficiencies over time if they do not supplement their diets in other ways.
In general, biotin deficiency is not a joke, so it is essential that you make sure you supplement your diet appropriately. Biotin for hair growth as a treatment for hair loss and acne therapy are just some of the other possible benefits you may notice when you start your supplementation. Be sure you know who is at risk for a biotin deficiency.