The health benefits of vitamin B7 or biotin include improved metabolism, tissue maintenance, healthy skin, and weight loss. It also provides relief from heart problems, alopecia, Parkinson’s disease, Rett syndrome, and vaginal candidiasis. It aids in the synthesis of vital components and helps in maintaining blood sugar levels.
What is Biotin?
Vitamin B7, also known as biotin, is a catalyst for various metabolic reactions in the human body to extract energy. Due to its water solubility, this vitamin is regularly diminished and therefore needs replenishment. The lack of biotin from your normal diet may lead to a number of health disorders. It is necessary to include the recommended amount of this vitamin in your daily diet.
Important Sources of Biotin
In order to include a fair amount of biotin in the diet, you should consume foods like egg yolks, fish, milk, meat liver, and kidney. It is an important point to mention that egg whites restrict the absorption of this vitamin and should, therefore, be avoided in large quantities. The requirement of vitamin intake varies from person to person. [1]
The recommended diet from physicians must be include foods for extracting biotin. There are other sources of this vitamin as well, which include unpolished rice, oats, soybeans, nuts, brewer’s yeast, potatoes, bananas, broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower.
Biotin-rich foods include organ meats, cheese, and nuts. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Deficiency Symptoms of Biotin
A deficiency of biotin manifests in a number of symptoms like fatigue, depression, pain in the muscles, hair loss, depression, and anemia. Apart from these, there are other indicating symptoms like a distinct loss of appetite, dermatitis, and the appearance of a dry scalp or dandruff. The most serious symptoms include neurological disorders and restricted growth in infants.
Health Benefits of Biotin
Vitamin B9 has its own share of benefits for providing improved health to the human body. The health benefits of this vitamin are explained in greater detail below.
Boosts Metabolism
Biotin, as mentioned earlier, is considered as a catalyst for controlling a number of metabolic reactions that provide energy from the metabolism of important nutrients like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. These processes are very important for the human body to carry out routinely in order to work properly and stay in good shape.
Skin Care
Biotin is an essential component for maintaining good health of the skin and hair. It is also beneficial for keeping nails in good condition. It helps revitalize reduced skin color due to pollution and bad health. This is why a person that experiences dry scalp or hair loss might be suffering from a deficiency of vitamin B7 in their diet.
Raspberries, avocados, and bananas are some fruits that contain vitamin B7. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Tissue Maintenance
Biotin helps in the growth and maintenance of muscle tissues and repairing these tissues in case of any type of damage. It also ensures the proper functioning of nervous system tissues, along with an optimal growth of bone marrow.
Weight Loss
Biotin is helpful in reducing surplus fat from the human body and maintaining a healthy weight. People suffering from obesity are generally recommended by doctors to include food that is rich in this vitamin in their daily diet plan.
Protects Heart
Biotin is helpful for ensuring the proper functioning of the heart. It helps in reducing the level of cholesterol in the human body, which is a major cause of conditions like atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes.
Optimizes Health
Biotin is considered as a synthesizer for a number of vital components, which play irreplaceable roles in maintaining optimal health for the human body. For instance, this vitamin helps in the processing of glucose to extract appropriate amounts of energy. Also, it helps in the synthesis of fatty acids and amino acids within the body.
Controls Blood Sugar
Research published in 2013, biotin is known to help improve glycemic control as well as serum lipid concentrations in those with type 1 diabetic patients without any significant side effects. However, more research on this is still required. [2]
Other Benefits
Adding to the already long list, biotin is also helpful in treating a number of diseases like alopecia, Parkinson’s disease, Rett syndrome, and vaginal candidiasis. Finally, it is a beneficial vitamin for the treatment of certain serious conditions like seborrheic dermatitis, Crohn’s disease, and peripheral neuropathy.
