Nutrition 101: Biotin | Other Names | Food List

Biotin is one of 8 B vitamins; it is also known as Vitamin B7, or Vitamin H. 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 Adequate Intake (AI) for biotin are shown below:

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 energy³. 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 liver⁴. They also help the nervous system function properly⁵. Biotin is essential for the formation of fatty acids and for gluconeogenesis⁶, the breakdown of protein for energy during starvation. It is also a critical nutrient during pregnancy because of its role in normal embryonic growth⁷.

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 (parenteral/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 loss⁸, brittle nails⁹, and improving blood sugars¹⁰ 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 30 mcg¹¹, 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 µg¹², which is equivalent to the adequate intake for adults. Listing the daily value for biotin on the Nutrition Facts label is optional.

1. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. National Academy Press, 1998, https://doi.org/10.17226/6015 ↩︎
2. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies. Dietary Reference Intakes: Applications in Dietary Planning. National Academies Press, 2003, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK278991/table/diet-treatment-obes.table17die/. ↩︎
3. Zempleni, Janos et al. “Biotin and biotinidase deficiency.” Expert review of endocrinology & metabolism vol. 3,6 (2008): 715-724. https://doi.org/10.1586/17446651.3.6.715 ↩︎
4. Kannan, Suganya, Jeyakumar Balakrishnan, and Prithiviraj Nagarajan. “Vitamin B7 (Biotin) and Its Role in Hair, Skin and Nail Health.” Hydrophilic Vitamins in Health and Disease. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2024. 233-252. ↩︎
5. Spector, R, and D M Mock. “Biotin transport and metabolism in the central nervous system.” Neurochemical research vol. 13,3 (1988): 213-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00971535 ↩︎
6. Melkonian, Emily A., Eri Asuka, and Michael P. Schury. “Physiology, Gluconeogenesis.” StatPearls, updated 13 Nov. 2023, StatPearls Publishing, Jan. 2025, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541119/. ↩︎
7. Ichihara, Yuko et al. “Serum biotin level during pregnancy is associated with fetal growth and preterm delivery.” The journal of medical investigation : JMI vol. 67,1.2 (2020): 170-173. https://doi.org/10.2152/jmi.67.170 ↩︎
8. Patel, Deepa P et al. “A Review of the Use of Biotin for Hair Loss.” Skin appendage disorders vol. 3,3 (2017): 166-169. https://doi.org/10.1159/000462981 ↩︎
9. Lipner, Shari R, and Richard K Scher. “Biotin for the treatment of nail disease: what is the evidence?.” The Journal of dermatological treatment vol. 29,4 (2018): 411-414. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546634.2017.1395799 ↩︎
10. Zhang, Yujia et al. “Influence of biotin intervention on glycemic control and lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Frontiers in nutrition vol. 9 1046800. 31 Oct. 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1046800 ↩︎
11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” FDA, 6 Feb. 2024, https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels ↩︎
12. Health Canada. “Table of Daily Values.” Government of Canada, 19 Jan. 2022, https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/technical-documents-labelling-requirements/table-daily-values.html. ↩︎