The Benefits of Biotin – And Why Biotin Plus Keratin Are THE “Dynamic Duo” for Hair and Nails

Most people have heard of biotin, but what is biotin and what is biotin used for? 

Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, also called vitamin B7 or vitamin H.* In its most basic role, biotin helps your body break down food into sugar, or glucose with glucose being a main source of energy for your brain and body.* 

As a supplement, biotin is most popular for its role in promoting healthy hair and nails. 

In this article, we will explore the benefits of biotin (from both food and supplement sources) and why combining biotin with another protein, keratin, can really boost how well it works for you.  

What Does Biotin Do?

Biotin serves a very important role in how our body breaks down other nutrients. For example, biotin is needed to properly utilize amino acids, the structural units that make up proteins, as well as certain vital enzymes such as the five carboxylase enzymes to help your body function properly.* 

Carboxylase enzymes play a crucial role in our metabolism. Biotin helps carboxylase enzymes break down and use fats, proteins, sugars, and amino acids in addition to helping control carbon dioxide within our bodies.*  

This means that biotin helps you create and use energy more efficiently.* It may not give you an energy jolt you can feel (like when you drink a coffee or another caffeinated beverage) but biotin helps energize your cells so they can function more effectively.  

In addition, researchers have found that over 2,000 genes are considered biotin-dependent. This means biotin is required to help maintain the stability and integrity of these genes.**  

Biotin plays a role in healthy immune function as well. If you have a biotin deficiency, cells that support your immune system including B-cells and T-cells can be defective.* Natural killer lymphocytes and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (both types of white blood cells) are additionally supported by biotin.* 

Biotin Deficiency

Symptoms of biotin deficiency can start gradually and become progressively worse over time. Signs of biotin deficiency include:* 

• Hair thinning and shedding
• Scaly, red rash around the eyes, nose, or mouth
• Infection around the tissue of the eye (conjunctivitis)
• Brittle nails

More severe symptoms of biotin deficiency can be seizures, fatigue, anxiety, and hallucinations.*

Thankfully, true biotin deficiency is uncommon. There is a rare inherited disorder called biotinidase that can cause a person to be deficient and most newborns in the United States are tested for this and, with supplementation starting at birth, serious symptoms can usually be prevented.*

Biotinidase deficiency occurs in roughly one out of every 40,000 infants born.*  

But, most people have enough biotin to maintain normal levels, but at times when your body metabolizes biotin more quickly – you need more of it.

For example, pregnancy causes an increased metabolism of biotin. This is why pregnant and breastfeeding women may be advised to start or increase their biotin supplementation.* It is estimated that half of the pregnant women in the United States are borderline biotin deficient.*

Smoking and chronic alcohol use are known to increase how quickly your body uses biotin as well as certain medications used to prevent seizures.* *

When testing for biotin deficiency, a blood test or urine test can be done to measure various levels of biotin in your body.* 

Biotin Rich Foods

Biotin rich foods are typically also high in protein because biotin tends to bind to protein more than most other nutrients.* Here are few of the most biotin rich foods you can start incorporating into your diet today:

• Beef liver
• Eggs
• Fish including tuna and salmon
• Pork
• Vegetables including spinach, broccoli, and sweet potatoes
• Almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Oatmeal and whole wheat bread
• Milk
• Plain yogurt

According to the Office of Dietary Supplements with the National Institutes of Health, there are certain proteins like dietary avidin that can interfere with how well you absorb biotin.* Avidin is found in raw egg whites. By fully cooking your eggs, avidin is broken down, allowing you to absorb biotin without issue.* 

Benefits of Biotin from Food or Supplementation

Thanks to biotin’s role in supporting carboxylase enzymes, biotin also helps regulate oxidative stress.* By controlling oxidative stress, many age-related concerns can be reduced and better managed.*  

Benefits of biotin from food or supplementation are most often seen when someone has an underlying biotin deficiency. Many of the symptoms of biotin deficiency can be reversed with biotin supplementation.* 

For example, biotin supplementation has been shown to improve brittle nails. A study found nail plate thickness to increase by 25% in patients who took biotin for six months.*

Another review of studies with biotin to promote nail health found that biotin improved nail thickness, fitness, and hardness with oral biotin supplementation.* 

Biotin supplementation is generally well tolerated with few side effects reported.* It’s also virtually impossible to have too much biotin. If you start having an excess of biotin, your body will simply excrete the extra biotin through your urine.* The typical daily dosing range is from 5  micrograms to 35 micrograms.* 

There are no known interactions with biotin and other medications or treatments.* 

But, as previously mentioned, in terms of supporting your hair and nails, biotin works best when combined with one specific protein.  

The “Hair Growth Protein” that Thinning Hair is Missing 

While it may seem logical if biotin deficiency causes brittle nails and hair loss – then supplementing with biotin would improve these areas. But the truth is, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

As a “catalyst” nutrient, we know that biotin helps certain proteins work more effectively.* 

That’s why combining biotin with the protein keratin makes for such a “dynamic duo” for promoting hair growth and nail strength. 

Keratin is a protein found in nature but nearly impossible to get through diet, and has been scientifically shown to be an incredible “hair growth booster.” 

Keratin protein is the tough, fibrous building block that single-handedly makes up a whopping 85% to 95% of your hair starting deep down in the follicles where hair grows. 

Solubility is Key to “WOW” Results

Keratin protein can only help strengthen hair follicles and reduce shedding if your body can absorb it. Intrigued by this challenge, a group of scientists went on a quest to create the highest quality, most soluble keratin that the body could break down easily and use to produce the protein that hair, hair follicles and the scalp need. 

They found this perfect keratin in a pure form from Australia that applies a revolutionary, now-patented process to break down and “solubilize” large protein compounds into tiny peptides.

When this concentrated keratin is supplemented and absorbed, it can transform your tresses in incredible ways:

• Significantly reduce excess shedding*
• Increase strength at the root*
• Promote a healthy growth cycle*
• Restore thicker, fuller hair*

This one-of-a-kind ingredient is called Cynatine HNS^®, a biologically active form of keratin protein that has been scientifically proven to work.

But here’s the real magic…

Scientifically Shown to Reduce Hair Shedding by 46% 

Human clinical trials published in the prestigious journals, Scientific World Journal and International Journal of Cosmetic Science, revealed that the longer you use it, the better it works…in just 90 days, you can reduce hair shedding by an incredible 46%!**

Australian keratin is the only nutrient that has been shown in a gold standard, double-blind, human study to actually “press pause” on excess hair shedding. 

And you’ll be blown away by the clinical proof.

The study included women between the ages of 40 and 71 who took this keratin ingredient daily for 90 days along with select, synergistic nutrients. Keep in mind, these were not women in their 20s and 30s who already had thick manes and youthful keratin production. 

I scrutinized the research myself and spoke with the researchers who developed this extraordinary keratin—and I can tell you with certainty that I’ve never seen results as convincing as these…

         After 30 days…16.9% improvement in hair shedding *

         After 60 days…38.9%improvement in hair shedding*

         After 90 days…46.6% improvement in hair shedding*

And a significant decrease in excess shedding was not the only benefit. Participants who took this powerful ingredient experienced a 47% improvement in hair brightness and measurable improvement in the strength of their hair as well as their nails.*

Australian Keratin is a hair growth and nail strengthening supplement which features a research-based doses Cynatine HNS® keratin.  

And it’s enhanced with biotin, the must have nutrient your body needs to convert amino acids into the keratin protein and promote proper absorption. 

To learn more about Keratin with biotin, click here