We've all heard of vitamin B ... but did you know that there are actually eight different B vitamins?
Yup, that's right! B vitamins are essential, meaning your body doesn't produce them by itself. You have to get these vitamins from your diet, whether that's the food you eat or the supplements you take.
B vitamins are also water soluble, and need water to absorb properly.
One of the most popular B vitamins is B7 … and for good reason! You may know it better as Biotin.
So, what is the hype around biotin all about? Should you be taking biotin? Let’s take a look.
What Is Biotin?
Like I mentioned earlier, biotin is one of the essential B vitamins: Vitamin B7. In fact, the word "biotin" comes from the Greek word biotos, meaning “life.”
Biotin is also sometimes called vitamin H, for “haar” and “haut” which are the German words for “hair” and “skin.” That's why it should come as no surprise to you that biotin is great for hair, skin, and nail health.
But, let’s take a deep dive into all the benefits that biotin has to offer...
What Are the Benefits of Taking Biotin?
What does biotin do? For one, it’s involved in maintaining the health of your nervous system. It also helps to promote healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Biotin, like other B vitamins, also helps turn your food into usable energy for your body.
While biotin deficiency is not super common; it’s also not something you want to risk. Trust me on this. Not getting enough biotin can lead to a range of problems, including:
- Brittle hair
- Cognitive difficulties
- Cardiac Arrhythmia
- Depression
- Dry, scaly skin
- Dry eyes
- Fatigue
- Gastrointestinal pain
- Hair loss
- Insomnia
- Muscle pain
- Nausea
- Pain in hands and feet
- Poor immunity
- Rashes
- Seizures
So obviously, it's important to make sure you're getting enough biotin. Not only for your hair, skin, and nails ... but also for the overall function and health of your brain, heart, and much more.
Unfortunately, because biotin is one of the water-soluble vitamins, it’s not something that your body can store for later use. Excess biotin is actually flushed out of your system through urine. This is another reason why it’s important that you get enough biotin daily.
On the flip side, this also means it’s nearly impossible to take in too much biotin (your body will pee out what it doesn’t need). The downside is, if you want to get enough biotin to stay healthy ... you need to take it consistently.
You can get biotin from your diet, supplementation, or a combination of both. But, what are the best sources to get in more biotin?
What Foods Contain Biotin?
Biotin can be found in a wide variety of different foods and products. Here are just some of the foods with a high concentration of biotin…
- Almonds
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Eggs
- Liver (and other organ meats)
- Mushrooms
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Sunflower seeds
- Sweet potatoes
Of course, the foods listed above are foods we may eat daily, but most of us aren’t planning our meals around how much biotin we need. I know I’m not!
So, for people like us ... what other options do we have?
Biotin Supplements
While I always recommend you get as many essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from your diet as possible ... supplements can also be very helpful.
After all, that's what supplements are for. They are there to help supplement your diet with the nutrients you're missing out on! As far as biotin is concerned, you can get enough of it through a multivitamin alone.
Now, if you're looking to supplement with extra biotin for its benefits for hair, skin, and nail health ... you're in luck! At 1st Phorm, we have supplements that are designed to help with that too, like our Hair Skin Nails Essentials.
If you have any more questions about biotin and how it can be beneficial for you ... reach out to us! Whether you're just looking to improve your health, or pursue more specific fitness goals ... we're happy to help.
We have a full team of Certified Personal Trainers (NASM-CPT) and Nutrition Coaches (NASM-CNC) here at 1st Phorm HQ who are dedicated to helping you earn the results you're after. Now let's get to work on reaching those goals and building a healthy lifestyle that you can be proud of!
