Dr. Meg Reitmeyer

A popular joke within the health care industry is that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world.

Biotin, commonly known as vitamin B-7, is a water soluble vitamin, and high levels of biotin float in the blood stream and are flushed through the kidneys without being utilized by the cells in the body. Standard multivitamins usually contain 30-40 mcg, which is within the suggested ranges, yet there are companies who sell supplements containing 5,000 to 10,000 mcg of biotin.

Nutritional sources of biotin include meat, eggs, baker’s yeast, bread, avocado, salmon, almonds and peanuts. Also, part of the normal amount of biotin in our bodies comes from our intestinal bacteria. People on extremely restricted diets (such as patients who have had weight-loss surgery) and pregnant women have a higher risk for biotin deficiency. Biotin deficiency also may occur in people who eat raw egg whites, but biotin is not destroyed in the cooking process, so it is strongly advised to cook raw egg whites.

It is also becoming evident that taking extra doses of biotin could actually harm your health. The danger is not from the adverse effects of overuse, but its interference with many common laboratory tests.

Biotidinase, the enzyme that activates biotin in our bodies, is used in a variety of laboratory tests as part of the testing process. Initially, the Food and Drug Administration advised that only doses greater than 5,000 mcg per day would definitely interfere with testing. Recently, the FDA has revised this warning and now states that as little as 30 mcg per day in a supplement (a standard multivitamin) may cause false lab results. The FDA was prompted to release its stricter warning because of blood tests for heart attacks in patients that were discovered to be false negatives. The official FDA warning states that persons preparing to take blood tests should stop taking any and all biotin-containing products for at least 24 hours before testing. However, multiple studies have shown that 72 hours is probably the safer option.

It is understandable why people are willing to take biotin to help with hair loss and brittle nails, yet the risk of being misdiagnosed and receiving improper medical treatment may not be worth the perceived benefits of taking a scientifically unproven treatment. Eating a nutritious and balanced variety of foods is the best way to ensure that your body will have enough naturally-produced biotin and to ensure that your health needs are met.

Dr. Meg Reitmeyer is an endocrinologist with Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System and is a member of the NET Health Board of Directors. Your NET Health focuses on important public health issues in the community. Let us know if you have a topic that you want us to cover. Send us an email at ContactUs@netphd.org, or call us at 903-535-0020.