biotin

Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that’s a part of the vitamin B family. It’s also known as vitamin H. Your body needs biotin to help convert certain nutrients into energy. It also plays an important role in the health of your hair, skin, and nails.

Keratin is a basic protein that makes up your hair, skin, and nails. It’s clear that biotin improves your body’s keratin infrastructure.

Biotin-rich foods to eat

You’re probably already getting the daily recommended amount of biotin from the food you eat. But if you’d like to increase your intake, you can add more biotin-rich foods into your diet. 

These include:

• organ meats, such as liver or kidney

• egg yolk

• nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, and walnuts

• soybeans and other legumes

• whole grains

• bananas

• cauliflower

Biotin is also thought to:

• reduce inflammation

• improve cognitive function

• help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes

• increase “good” HDL cholesterol and decrease “bad” LDL cholesterol

Recommended daily allowance

Between 30 and 100 micrograms (mcg) per day of biotin is often recommended for adolescents and adults.

Some problems that may biotin solve

• Hair loss. 

Taking biotin and zinc by mouth in addition to applying a steroid cream to the skin might help reduce hair loss.

• An inherited disorder called biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease.

 People with this condition experience episodes of altered mental state and muscle problems. Early research shows that taking biotin plus thiamine does not prevent these episodes better than taking thiamine alone. But the combination might shorten how long the episodes last when they do occur.

• Brittle fingernails and toenails. 

Taking biotin by mouth for up to a year might increase the thickness of fingernails and toenails in people with brittle nails.

• Diabetes. 

Some early research shows that taking biotin along with chromium might lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. However, taking biotin alone doesn't seem to improve blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

• Diabetic nerve pain.

 Early research shows that taking biotin by mouth or receiving it as a shot might reduce nerve pain in the legs of people with diabetes.

• Muscle cramps related to dialysis.

 People receiving dialysis tend to have muscle cramps. Early research shows that taking biotin by mouth might reduce muscle cramps in these people.

• Multiple sclerosis. 

Early research shows that taking high-dose biotin might improve vision and reduce partial paralysis in some people with multiple sclerosis.

Thanks to www.oxfordvitality.co.uk for their illustrated poster.

Benefits of vitamin B5 withB7( biotin).

Vitamin B5, also called pantothenic acid and pantothenate, is vital to living a healthy life. Like all B complex vitamins, B5 helps the body convert food into energy. B5 is naturally found in many food sources.

B vitamins turn carbohydrates into glucose, which is the fuel that produces energy.

B vitamins also help the body use fat and protein and are also important for maintaining a healthy nervous system, eyes, skin, hair and liver.

Specifically, B5 helps to:

• Create red blood cells

• Create stress-related and sex hormones

• Maintain a healthy digestive tract

• Process other vitamins, particularly B2 (riboflavin)

• Synthesize cholesterol

Sources of vitamin B5

The best way to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin B5 is to eat a healthy, balanced diet every day.

Vitamin B5 is an easy vitamin to incorporate into a good diet. It’s found in most vegetables,

including:

• broccoli

• members of the cabbage family

• white and sweet potatoes

• whole-grain cereals

Other healthy sources of B5 include:

• mushrooms

• nuts

• beans

• peas

• lentils

• meats

• poultry

• dairy products

• eggs