Biotin is a B vitamin that functions as a coenzyme for carbon dioxide transfer and is essential to fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Biotin is often found in multivitamin products.

Source Naturals Biotin 600 mcg

Biotin is a water soluble vitamin. It is required by our bodies due to its involvement in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. Also consider a very popular multivitamin called MultiVit Rx, formulated by world renowned nutrition expert and medical doctor Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Biotin Supplement Facts:
Biotin -600 mg

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Function of Biotin
Besides its role as a carboxylase prosthetic group, biotin regulates gene expression and has a wide repertoire of effects on systemic processes. The vitamin regulates genes that are critical in the regulation of intermediary metabolism: Biotin has stimulatory effects on genes whose action favors hypoglycemia (insulin, insulin receptor, pancreatic and hepatic glucokinase); on the contrary, biotin decreases the expression of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, a key gluconeogenic enzyme that stimulates glucose production by the liver. The findings that biotin regulates the expression of genes that are critical in the regulation of intermediary metabolism are in agreement with several observations that indicate that biotin supply is involved in glucose and lipid homeostasis. Biotin deficiency has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and decreased utilization of glucose. On the other hand, the diabetic state appears to be ameliorated by pharmacological doses of biotin. Likewise, pharmacological doses of biotin appear to decrease plasma lipid concentrations and modify lipid metabolism. The effects of biotin on carbohydrate metabolism and the lack of toxic effects of the vitamin at pharmacological doses suggest that biotin could be used in the development of new therapeutics in the treatment of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, an area that we are actively investigating. Biotin synthase, a member of the SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine) family, converts dethiobiotin into biotin.

Biotin Deficiency
Raw egg white contains a biotin antagonist, avidin. Prolonged consumption of raw egg whites may result in dermatitis and glossitis, which respond rapidly to biotin supplementation. Biotin deficiency has also occurred during long-term total parenteral nutrition without supplementary biotin.
   Marginal biotin deficiency may be a human teratogen. Propionyl-coenzyme A carboxylase activity in peripheral blood lymphocytes is a sensitive indicator of biotin status.

Biotin and Pregnancy
Recent studies of biotin status during pregnancy provide evidence that a marginal degree of biotin deficiency develops in a substantial proportion of women during normal pregnancy. Several lines of evidence suggest that although the degree of biotin deficiency is not severe enough to produce the classic cutaneous and behavioral manifestations of biotin deficiency, the deficiency is severe enough to produce metabolic derangements in women and may be teratogenic. In studies of mice, a similar degree of biotin deficiency induces characteristic fetal malformations at a high rate.

Biotin Research
Marginal biotin deficiency during normal pregnancy.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Feb;75(2):295-9.
Biotin deficiency is teratogenic in several mammalian species. Approximately 50% of pregnant women have an abnormally increased urinary excretion of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid (3-HIA), which probably reflects decreased activity of the biotin-dependent enzyme methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase. However, increased 3-HIA excretion could result from pregnancy per se (eg, from an effect of pregnancy on renal handling of organic acids). OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that biotin supplementation significantly decreases 3-HIA excretion in pregnant women with abnormally increased 3-HIA excretion. DESIGN: Twenty-six pregnant women with increased 3-HIA excretion were studied in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial; 10 women were studied during early pregnancy (6-17 wk gestation) and 16 women during late pregnancy (21-37 wk gestation). Urine samples were collected before and after 14 d of supplementation with 300 microg (1.2 micromol) biotin/d or placebo. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that the increased excretion of 3-HIA seen frequently in normal pregnancy reflects reduced biotin status. The conclusion that marginal biotin deficiency occurs frequently in the first trimester further raises concern about potential human teratogenicity.

In vivo biotin supplementation at a pharmacologic dose decreases proliferation rates of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and cytokine release.
J Nutr. 2001 May;131(5):1479-84.
Theoretically, vitamin supplements may either enhance or reduce protein synthesis and proliferation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In the present study, we determined whether administration of a pharmacologic dose of biotin affects proliferation rates of PBMC and cytokine release. Healthy adults (n = 5) ingested 3.1 micromol biotin/d for 14 d; blood and urine were collected pre- and postsupplementation. PBMC were isolated by density gradient and incubated with the mitogen concanavalin A for up to 3 d. At timed intervals during mitogen stimulation, we measured the following: 1) cellular uptake of [(3)H]thymidine to determine proliferation rates; 2) concentrations of various cytokines released into the medium; and 3) the percentages of PBMC subsets as judged by CD surface markers. Biotin supplementation caused a significant decrease of PBMC proliferation. At 2 d after mitogen stimulation, [(3)H]thymidine uptake by postsupplementation PBMC was 66 +/- 21% of the uptake by presupplementation PBMC (P < 0.05). Similarly, concentrations of interleukin-1beta (2 d after mitogen) and interleukin-2 (1 d after mitogen) in media from postsupplementation PBMC were 65 +/- 28% and 44 +/- 23%, respectively, of those for presupplementation PBMC. Percentages of PBMC subsets were not affected by 14 d of biotin supplementation. Overall, this study provides evidence that administration of pharmacologic doses of biotin for 14 d decreases PBMC proliferation and synthesis of interleukin-1beta and interleukin-2.

Bioavailability of biotin given orally to humans in pharmacologic doses.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Mar;69(3):504-8.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock
Patients with carboxylase deficiency are treated with pharmacologic doses of biotin. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the bioavailability of biotin at pharmacologic doses. DESIGN: Biotin was administered orally (2.1, 8.2, or 81.9 micromol) or intravenously (18.4 micromol) to 6 healthy adults in a crossover design with > or =2 wk between each biotin administration. Before and after each administration, timed 24-h urine samples were collected. Urinary biotin and biotin metabolites were analyzed by an HPLC avidin-binding assay. RESULTS: Urinary recoveries of biotin plus metabolites were similar (approximately 50%) after the 2 largest oral doses and the 1 intravenous dose, suggesting 100% bioavailability of the 2 largest oral doses. For unexplained reasons, the apparent recovery of the smallest oral dose was about twice that of the other doses. For all 4 doses, biotin accounted for >50% of the total of biotin and biotin metabolites in urine. Bisnorbiotin (13-23%), biotin-d,l-sulfoxide (5-13%), bisnorbiotin methyl ketone (3-9%), and biotin sulfone (1-3%) accounted for the remainder. The percentage excretion of biotin was greater when biotin was administered intravenously and for the largest oral dose than for the 2 smallest oral doses. CONCLUSION: Our data provide evidence that oral biotin is completely absorbed even when pharmacologic doses are administered. Biotin metabolites account for a substantial portion of total urinary excretion and must be considered in bioavailability studies. We speculate that renal losses of biotin (as a percentage of the dose administered) are moderately elevated when pharmacologic doses of biotin are administered.

Biotin Questions
Q. I am happy to have found your R lipoic Isomer but I was told to always take it with biotin. Do you have a combination r lipoic biotin? Thanks,.
   A. We have looked into this matter and we cannot find any research that indicates biotin is needed when humans supplement with lipoic acid. Taking biotin with lipoic acid appears to be a marketing ploy by those who are making a combination lipoic and biotin pill. Nevertheless, there is multivitamin product called MultiVit Rx that has biotin in it if you wish to take a capsule a day.

Q. Is biotin okay to take daily with coQ10 and saw palmetto?
   A. As long as the dosages are kept reasoable and breaks from supplements are taken.

Q.  I just want to make sure biotin is okay for a diabetic.
   A. We don't see any reason why biotin would not be advised in someone who has diabetes as long as the dose of biotin is reasonable.

Q. I see some biotin 5 mg products are sold. What is your opinion of biotin 5 mg dosage?
   A. I really don't see why biotin 5 mg is needed except in rare cases. I do not see the need to take more than 400 to 1000 mcg of biotin a day. Biotin 5 mg equals biotin 5000 mcg.

Q. I have noticed that some biotin supplements just say biotin and others say d-biotin. Is there a difference?
   A. We did a search on medical websites and could not find an easy explanation for any difference. It appears from our preliminary readings that d biotin converts into biotin and for practical purposes there may not be much of a difference in terms of taking a biotin supplement. Both D-biotin and biotin appear to have the same chemical structure C1OH16N2O3S. As of January 2008, we can't be certain of this.

Q. Does biotin vitamin really help in hair growth? I had lost much hair at the crown many years back due to low iron stores and stress. The situation didn't aggravate nor did hair regrowth really took place. For the past 1 year, when my hair got terribly dry, clumps of it will come off everyday.
   A. We are not aware of any good studies that indicate taking a biotin supplement will lead to hair growth.