Biotin
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Biotin

Biotin

What does it do?

Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps you transform fat, protein and carbohydrates in your food to energy needed by the body.

What are the best food sources?

Biotin is found in a wide variety of natural foods. Egg yolk, liver and wheat bran are rich sources. Generally, the more processed a food, the lower its biotin content. Bottom line: To meet your recommended intake, choose whole foods more often.

What happens if you don’t get enough?

In people consuming a healthy diet, biotin deficiency is rare. However, deficiencies have been reported in patients on tube feedings or in individuals who consume raw egg whites over a long period of time (e.g., athletes consuming large volumes of raw-egg protein shakes). Symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, depression, weakness, fatigue, scaly dermatitis and loss of hair.

What happens if you get too much?

Thus far, no ill effects have been reported by humans eating large amounts of biotin. However, studies have not specifically looked at the harmful effects of excess biotin, so stick with the recommended intake level. It will give you all you need.

How much do you need?

The following table lists the recommended intake for healthy people based on current scientific information.

Life Stage Group Age Range Recommended Dietary Allowance/Adequate Intake Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)
Infants 0-6 mo. 5* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Infants 7-12 mo. 6* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Children 1-3 yr. 8* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Children 4-8 yr. 12* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Males 9-13 yr. 20* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Males 14-18 yr. 25* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Males 19-30 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Males 31-50 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Males 51-70 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Males > 70 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Females 9-13 yr. 20* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Females 14-18 yr. 25* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Females 19-30 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Females 31-50 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Females 51-70 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Females > 70 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Pregnancy < 18 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Pregnancy 19-30 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Pregnancy 31-50 yr. 30* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Lactation < 18 yr. 35* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Lactation 19-30 yr. 35* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.
Lactation 31-50 yr. 35* micrograms/day Not determinable due to lack of data on adverse effects and concern about inability to handle excess amounts. Source should be from food only to prevent high levels of intake.

NOTE: The table is adapted from the Dietary Reference Intakes reports. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), when available, are in bold type; Adequate Intakes (AIs) are followed by an asterisk(*). RDAs and AIs may both be used as goals for individual intake. RDAs are set to meet the needs of almost all individuals (97 to 98 percent) in a group. For healthy breastfed infants, the AI is the mean intake. The AI for other life stage and gender groups is believed to cover the needs of all individuals in the group, but lack of data means the percentage of individuals covered by this intake cannot be specified with confidence.
Values in parentheses, marked with a double asterisk (**) represent the RDA/AI in micrograms.
UL = The maximum level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects. Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water and supplements.

Source URL: http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrient_library/biotin

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