Image by Claudia Peters from Pixabay
By Sarah Beleski, a recent ASU Nutrition Student
If you’re a fan of reading health-related articles, you may have heard of the vitamin, biotin, and the health claims that are commonly associated with it. Biotin supplements have gained popularity for their claims to promote healthier-looking hair and nails. However, the popularity of the product is not what is most shocking to me. The most alarming aspect is the lack of data that supports the supplement’s claims.
So, the big question is… are biotin supplements worth your money? Do they actually work?
According to a journal article written by Deepa P. Patel and associates, a review of studies show that consuming biotin supplements have only proven to cause healthier hair and nails in individuals who had poor hair and skin prior to the vitamin supplementation. These individuals had a biotin deficiency, which for healthy individuals, is an extremely rare case.
Symptoms of a biotin deficiency include an assortment of issues, such as hair loss through alopecia, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, and even some neurological symptoms, such as depression and seizures. A biotin deficiency is the result of either congenital disorders or is acquired at some point in an individual’s life.
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(Article courtesy Fill Your Plate)