The information resource about Nutrients, Probiotics and Food Supplements
Nutrient Details For : Biotin

A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organism's metabolism, growth, or other functioning. Click name for details Arsenic Biotin Boron Calcium Carbohydrates Carnitine Carotenoids Chloride Choline Chromium Copper Energy Fiber Fluoride Folate Iodine Iron Lipids Magnesium Manganese Molybdenum Niacin Nickel Pantothenic acid Phosphorus Phyto-chemicals Potassium Protein Riboflavin Selenium Silicon Sodium Thiamin Vanadium Vitamin A Vitamin B 12 Vitamin B 6 Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Zinc Further Trace Elements

Biotin is also known as vitamin H and coenzyme R (Hexahydro-2-oxo-1H-thienal[3,4-d]- imidazole-4-pentatonic acid) and found primarily in liver, kidney and muscle.

Biotin's function is an essential cofactor for four carboxylases that catalyze the incorporation of cellular bicarbonate. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a catalysator for the formation of malonyl-CoA which then serves as a substrate for fatty acid elongation.

Deficiencies:

Severe deficiency causes:
1) thinning of hair, loss of hair color, and eventually complete loss of hair;
2) a scaly, red rash distributed around the openings of the eyes, nose, mouth, and perineal area;
3) central nervous system abnormalities such as depression, lethargy, hallucinations, and paresthesias.
In infants, the neurologic findings include hypotonia, lethargy, and developmental delay, as well as a peculiar withdrawn behavior.
In patients on total or near total intravenous feeding, an unusual distribution of facial fat coupled with the rash and hair loss produces a distinct appearance called "biotin deficiency facies."

Biotin deficiency is rare in the absence of total intravenous feedings without added biotin or the chronic ingestion of raw egg white.

Clinical uses: Biotin is routinely provided to individuals receiving total intravenous feeding and is incorporated into almost all nutritionally complete dietary supplements and infant formulas Marginal states of biotin deficiency may develop during normal pregnancy, possibly due to accelerated biotin breakdown. Adequate intakes for pregnancy may need to be revised upward in the future; however, no untoward effects of marginal biotin status in pregnancy have been proven to date.

Recommendations:

The estimated safe and adequate dietary intake values for biotin for different age groups are as follows: 5, 6, 8, 12, 20, 25 and 30 ug/day for ages of 0-0.5, 0.5-1, 1-3, 4-8, 9-13, 14-18 and >19 years, respectively. The values for pregnacy and lactation were estimated to be 30 and 35 ug/day, respectively.

Food sources:

Biotin is widely distributed in food stuffs, but the amounts are small relative to other vitamins.

Toxicity:

Oral and intravenous doses up to 200 mg have not produced frank toxicity in human subjects. In animal studies, even higher doses per kilogram body weight have not produced toxicity.

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