Biotin & Hair Growth

I recently had lunch with my grandma. Being the new “Vitamin Guru” in the family, she brought along a bottle of biotin and asked if I knew anything about this supplement. She told me that a friend of hers recently finished chemotherapy and was taking this supplement to re-grow her hair. As it so happened, I did know a little about the supplement: for one, it is also known as Vitamin b7 and two, it is good for hair and nail growth. I did a little more research and also found out biotin supplements are sometimes given to help reduce blood sugar in diabetic patients; people with type 2 diabetes often have low levels of biotin. Biotin has also been used to combat premature graying of hair and alopecia (partial or complete loss of hair), though it is likely to be useful only for those with a low biotin level. Biotin has been used for people in weight loss programs to help them metabolize fat more efficiently. Biotin deficiency results in fatigue, depression, nausea, muscle pains, hair loss, and anemia. An adequate amount of biotin is about 30 to 100 mcg daily can be found in most multivitamins.
Luckily, I am not losing my hair, nor have I found any gray hairs yet, but having this information is definitely an incentive to continue taking my multivitamin!
- Community Assistant