Biotin Health Article

Description

Biotin is a member of the B complex family, but is not actually a vitamin. It is a coenzyme that works with them. Also known as vitamin H and coenzyme R, it was first isolated and described in 1936. It is water soluble and very unstable; it can be destroyed by heat, cooking, exposure to light, soaking, and prolonged contact with water, baking soda, or any other alkaline element. The body obtains biotin from food and can also synthesize this nutrient from bacteria in the digestive tract.

General use

Biotin is utilized by every cell in the body and contributes to the health of skin, hair, nerves, bone marrow, sex glands, and sebaceous glands. Apart from being a vital cofactor to several enzymes, biotin is essential in carbohydrate metabolism and the synthesis of fatty acids. It is also involved in the transformation of amino acids into protein. Biotin plays a role in cell growth and division through its role in the manufacture of DNA and RNA, the genetic components of cells.

Adequate biotin is required for healthy nails and hair, and biotin deficiency is known to be a factor in balding and the premature graying of hair. It has been claimed that, as part of an orthomolecular regime, it can reverse the graying of hair. When PABA and biotin are taken together in adequate amounts they can restore hair color. Biotin supplements will also effectively treat weak, splitting nails.

Biotin can be a valuable tool to combat yeast infections, which are notoriously difficult to eradicate. In their book The Yeast Syndrome, John Parks Trowbridge and Morton Walker describe how adequate levels of biotin can prevent Candida albicans from developing from its yeast-like state into fungal form, in which it sends out mycelium that further invade body organs.

Seborrheic dermatitis, or Leiner's disease, which is a non-itchy, red scaling rash affecting infants during the first three months of life, is also treated with biotin and other B complex vitamins.

Biotin has been used in conjunction with other nutrients as part of weight loss programs, as it aids in the digestion and breakdown of fats.

High doses of biotin are sometimes used by the allopathic medical profession to treat diabetes since it enhances sensitivity to insulin and effectively increases levels of enzymes involved in glucose metabolism. Biotin is also used to treat peripheral neuropathy, a complication of diabetes, and those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, who suffer from metabolic deficiencies.

Biotin can be found in beans, breads, brewer's yeast, cauliflower, chocolate, egg yolks, fish, kidney, legumes, liver, meat, molasses, dairy products, nuts, oatmeal, oysters, peanut butter, poultry, wheat germ, and whole grains.