Best Women's Multivitamin with Biotin

Maybe you know this (or maybe you don’t)...but biotin is a super important nutrient that you should be getting in your diet.

Some people refer to it as B7. More often than not, though, it’s called biotin.

Simply put, it's part of the B group of water-soluble vitamins.

Water-soluble, as you can probably guess, means that when water gets released from your body, so do these vitamins.

And sadly, loss of biotin is included in that process

In order to maintain adequate amounts in your body, you have to be consuming it daily - hence why you want it in your multivitamin for women.

The first thing people think about when they hear biotin is hair and nail health—but it’s so much more than that.

Here are plenty more reasons why you need biotin:

It helps your body convert food into energy

The reality is that if your body can’t use the food you’re eating, you’re not going to survive, regardless of how healthy you eat.

B vitamins are crucial for helping the body to break down food and convert it to usable forms of energy for women of all ages - females in their 20s as well as over 60.

It serves as a co-factor for 5 important carboxylases that catalyze critical steps in the metabolism of fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids [1].

Specifically, the benefits of Biotin include:

• Converts glucose from carbohydrates into useable fuel sources.
• Aids in the use of amino acids from protein.
• Activates fatty acids to supply energy.

It keeps your hair, skin, and nails healthy

When it comes to nutrients for hair health, biotin gets a gold start.

Several studies have found that taking biotin supplements for 3 to 6 months can help promote hair growth and reduce hair loss. Participants also found that biotin improved hair volume, scalp coverage, and hair thickness, along with shine, moisture, and smoothness [2, 3].

The impact on hair and nails is due to biotin’s role in keratin production—the main protein helping to increase strength of these tissues.

A deficiency of biotin has been linked to alopecia, skin rashes, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and multiple neurological symptoms [4].

It’s needed for fetal development

Folate is usually the go-to vitamin for pregnancy. But did you know that biotin is also pretty critical, too?

It’s needed for embryonic development after conception, and biotin requirements further increase during lactation [1, 5].

While most studies on biotin and fetal development are relegated to animals, these studies suggest that biotin deficiency during pregnancy could lead to an increased risk of chromosome anomalies and fetal malformations [6].

It protects your brain

If there’s one organ that’s highly dependent on biotin, it’s the brain.

Although it’s needed in small amounts, biotin plays a critical role in maintaining the health of the nervous system and regulating gene expression.

It may have such an important role due to its involvement with glucose metabolism and haemostasis. Including regulation of hepatic glucose uptake, gluconeogenesis, insulin receptor transcription and the function of pancreatic β-cells [7].

As well, studies have shown high dose biotin as an effective treatment for promoting axonal remyelination by enhancing myelin production in patients with MS [8].

Biotin is also critical to neurotransmitter activity and synthesizing hormones responsible for mood.

A deficiency in biotin can lead to neurological issues, as well as depression, lethargy, hallucinations, and even seizures [7].

It stabilizes your blood sugar

Want to keep your blood sugar from spiking? Biotin might be what you need.

When combined with chromium, biotin has been shown to help lower blood glucose in people with diabetes [9].

That’s because biotin facilitates the activity of insulin, which is needed to shuttle glucose into cells and bring blood sugar back to a normal level [10].

A more appropriate insulin response decreases the risk of fluctuating glucose levels, which can contribute to the onset of prediabetes symptoms and potentially the development of type II diabetes.

Biotin also helps to reduce the expression of enzymes that stimulate glucose production by the liver. Thereby inhibiting excessive hepatic glucose output and keeping blood glucose levels in check.

It also helps to combat insulin resistance, improve pancreatic beta-cell function, and enhance postprandial glucose levels [11].

Biotin deficiencies have been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and decreased utilization of glucose, both of which are risk factors for diabetes.

This nutrient may also help to lower plasma lipids, thereby improving heart health and decreasing risk of CVD [10].

And it boosts immunity and reduces inflammation

With cold and flu season coming, stocking up on biotin might be something to get on.

Biotin is involved in development of white blood cells, which work to protect your body from pathogens [12].

Your body contains two types of WBCs: TH1 and TH2.

• TH1 cells stimulates the cellular immune response, inhibit activation of macrophages and activating B cells
• TH2 cells, on the other hand, stimulate the humoral immune response, stimulate B cell proliferation, and increase production of antibodies (IL-4).

However, overactivation of either pathway can initiate the inflammatory response and lead to disease [13]. This can happen when there are insufficient T-regulatory cells to maintain balance and biotin deficiency has been associated with T-cell decay [14].

And there’s more.

A deficiency in biotin also increases release of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-23, and IL-12p40.

It’s also been shown to enhance production of reactive oxygen species, which contribute to cellular damage.

This occurs due to decreased activation of AMPK, a major regulator of inflammation [15].

Supplementing with biotin may help to control levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Biotin is widely available in an abundance of food source, but the tricky thing with eating your biotin is that you still may not actually be getting enough…

...in this case, what’s a lady to do?

Supplement.