Nutrition 101: Biotin

Biotin is one of 8 B vitamins. All of the B vitamins are water soluble, meaning that the body does not store them but excretes them in the urine.

Recommended Intakes

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for biotin are shown below:

Age Group	Adequate Intake (AI) per day	Tolerable Upper Intake (UI) Levels
Adults
19 years and up	30 mcg	*No upper limit is established for this nutrient
Kids and Youth
1 to 3 years	8 mcg
4 to 8 years	12 mcg
9 to 13 years	20 mcg
14 to 18 years	25 mcg
Special Considerations
Pregnant women 14 years and up	30 mcg
Lactating women 14 years and up	35 mcg

Because biotin is water soluble, excessive intake of biotin-containing foods has not shown to be toxic to humans.

What Does Biotin Do?

Like the other B vitamins, biotin’s main role is to help your body use carbohydrates and protein to make energy. Your body needs it to form adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which every cell of the body uses for energy. B-complex vitamins are also needed for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver. They also help the nervous system function properly. Biotin is essential for the formation of fatty acids and for gluconeogenesis, the breakdown of protein for energy during starvation. It is also a critical nutrient during pregnancy because of its role in normal embryonic growth.

Biotin deficiency is very rare, as most people are able to get enough biotin naturally from foods. However, people who consume a large number of raw egg whites over long periods of time and those who have been on prolonged intravenous feeding (paranteral/TPN) without biotin supplementation are at risk for a deficiency. Raw egg white contains avidin, a protein that binds to biotin and prevents its absorption; however, avidin is inactivated when heated.

Biotin supplements have been studied as a treatment for a number of conditions, including hair loss, brittle nails, and improving blood sugars and nerve function in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, at this time there is not enough evidence to show the effectiveness of biotin supplements for these conditions.

Top Food Sources of Biotin

There is very little data on the biotin content in foods; biotin content is not generally included in nutrient databases. Although biotin is found in varying amounts in a wide range of natural food sources in the diet, few are particularly rich sources. Foods with a relatively high biotin content include egg yolk, meat, liver, fish, soybeans, dairy, whole grains, peanuts, and dark green vegetables. Biotin is also synthesized in the gastrointestinal tract by intestinal microorganisms, but not enough for this to be the sole source.

Nutrition Facts Label and t​he % Daily Value

In the United States: The % daily value gives you an idea of how much biotin is in the food you eat. The daily value for biotin is 300 mcg, which is much higher than the DRI for all age groups. It is unclear why the daily value is so high; it may have been established a long time ago and therefore may need to be updated. The FDA does not require that the % daily value for biotin be listed on the Nutrition Facts label.

In Canada: The daily value for biotin is 30 mcg, which is equivalent to the adequate intake for adults. Listing the daily value for biotin on the Nutrition Facts label is optional.