Deficiency symptoms
Scale-like greyish inflammation of the skin (that does not itch), depression, lethargy, nausea and dizziness, inflammation of mouth and tongue, loss of appetite, muscular pains, anaemia, hypersensitivity to blows and strains, a heightened level of blood cholesterol, and changes in the electrocardiograph picture of cardiac activity (ECG).
Groups at risk
Alcoholics, patients with gastrointestinal diseases, elderly people, and athletes under peak load, pregnant and breast-feeding women, and epileptics exposed to medicinal poisoning and other patients, especially the ones with failing gastric acid production and "side effects" from the sulpha drugs that are ruining the production of biotin in the intestines.
A few years ago, many scientists had doubts whether biotin had any importance for the human body. Today, it is recognized that biotin deficiency is much more common than we had expected. Skin diseases, in particular, and especially among children, often seem to be caused by biotin deficiency.
A slimming diet programme with a high content of raw egg white illuminated the fact that raw egg white contains the biotin neutralizing enzyme avidine. When examining the resulting cases of biotin deficiency, one could register the deficiency symptoms. Avidine is ruined when heated, and the egg yolk is rich in biotin, so the example should not keep people from eating eggs!
Biotin has also been proved to strengthen the immune system in various ways and biotin is important to the body's production of fatty acids.
RDA : 150 mcg.
Therapeutic dosage
Biotin has no side effects, even in very large doses. No reports of poisoning or contraindications have ever been published. If you suffer from a fungal infection, you can take up to 300 mcg. of biotin together with 2 tsp. of olive oil 3 times a day. Such infection can become severe and should be assessed by a medical professional.
The richest natural sources
Egg yolk, intestines, brewer's yeast, nuts and beans. Biotin is a sulphurous vitamin that does not need to be changed into a co-enzyme in the body, but - in its natural form - it plays an important role in the metabolization of fat and carbohydrates.
The vitamin is produced through a bacterial process in the intestines, and under normal circumstances, this source seems to be the most important one for the body's absorption of biotin.
