Vital Wellness

Daily Value: 300 micrograms

Good Food Sources: Brewer’s yeast, barley, oat bran, soybeans, filberts, walnuts, peanuts, bananas, cauliflower, milk, egg yolks, salmon.

Description:

Your nails are a disaster. They’ve been clipped, filed, and buffed, then I coated with polish. And they still look thin, brittle, and pathetic.

They will never appear in Vogue. But they do happen to be just about the first thing folks notice when you shake hands or pet their dogs. So what are you going to do?

Well, you may want to try your luck with biotin, a B-complex vitamin that your body needs to process carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids (the building blocks of protein). Years ago researchers discovered that hoof abnor­malities in horses could be successfully treated with biotin supplements. Since then biotin has been touted as a nail and hair strengthener. Some research has shown that biotin supplements can improve the condition of brittle nails. However, those studies were small and/or inconclusive. Larger placebo- controlled studies are needed before any positive conclusions can be made.

Biotin deficiency is uncommon and is usually limited to those who are being fed intravenously over a long period of time or have a genetic inability to absorb biotin. Most people really don’t need to worry about whether or not they’re get­ting enough. That’s because unless you have a genetic defect that alters the way your body uses this nutrient, either you get enough of it through the eggs, milk, and cereals in your diet or your body will manufacture what you need.

People with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes may prove to be a different story. They often have lower levels of biotin than people without the disease. Fortunately, researchers are finding that biotin supplements may help those with type 2 diabetes manage their glucose levels. When research ers at Yale University School of Medicine gave 43 patients with poorly con­trolled type 2 diabetes a biotin/chromium supplement, their glucose and lipid levels were significantly improved after just 4 weeks.

Research is also showing that biotin can decrease symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy, a complication of long-term diabetes that causes numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the extremities due to nerve dam­age. People with peripheral neuropathy have reported an improvement of symptoms after 1 month of taking biotin supplements.

How To Consume It Safely?

Biotin may be one of the safest of all vitamins. There are no reports of toxic­ity, even when it’s taken in high doses up to 600 micrograms.

Biotin is destroyed by certain food-processing techniques such as can­ning and heat curing. So it’s always better to choose fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats over canned or cured foods.