Our bodies require biotin (vitamin B7) to metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids.

In fact, all of the B vitamins, including biotin, help break down dietary carbohydrates into glucose to produce the ATP — the body’s energy-storage molecule. Biotin also prevents hypoglycemia.

Vitamin B7 is also found in egg yolks, Swiss chard, liver, and leafy green vegetables.

Deficiency of biotin can cause hair loss, conjunctivitis, and dermatitis, as well as neurological problems such as depression, pain, and fatigue, and sensory symptoms such as numbness and tingling.

Eating raw egg whites can actually cause biotin deficiency because a protein in raw egg whites binds biotin and makes it usable in the body.

Pregnant women have a high rate of deficiency. Cleft palate and other congenital malformations could be related to biotin shortage during pregnancy.

Many women take biotin to help improve the health of their hair and nails. However, my experience has shown biotin supplements have little benefit taken without the full complement of other essential vitamins and minerals.

In other words, biotin should not be supplemented without the use of a B-complex vitamin and a multimineral -vitamin product. I suggest using between 0.05 to 5 mg per day.

There is little or no chance of biotin toxicity.