Biotin, or vitamin B7, is a crucial nutrient responsible for metabolism, beauty, energy, and more. But many people don’t give it much thought. You hear a lot about vitamins C and D, but B7 is also important, and perhaps even more important for you to learn about, since you could be low in vitamin B7 without even realizing it.
But after reading this blog, you’ll learn why so many falsely believe their biotin levels are nothing to worry about, causing problems like a 2016 study that tested women with hair loss and found that nearly 40% of them were deficient in biotin! [1]
And these women had no idea.
So, you may now be wondering if YOU could be low on this vitamin without knowing. Let’s go over some of the tell-tale signs that you could be low in this nutrient.
If your biotin levels are low, the good news is this: your body has ways of telling you.
But here’s the bad news: most people mistake these symptoms for “normal” feelings in today’s stressful and busy society. Or, they may think they’re simply signs of “getting older.” Big mistake!
You’ll see what I mean when you read the below list.
These are tell-tale signs that you may be low in biotin:
❌ Hair loss
❌ Depression
❌ Lack of appetite
❌ Fatigue
❌ Insomnia
❌ Dry eyes
❌ Lethargy
❌ Skin blemishes
❌ Brittle nails
Tell anyone you have the above symptoms, and they’ll likely tell you that you’re stressed. While looking for ways to deal with stress is great for your health, it won’t stave off a deficiency or raise your biotin levels, which have been low for WAY too long if you’re feeling multiples of the above.
But if the symptoms of a biotin deficiency can be so poor for your health and make you feel so lousy, why do people often forget about it?
It has to do with some of the myths floating around about biotin.
When it comes to biotin myths, it has to do with what most people (if they’ve even heard of biotin) will tell you about the nutrient when asked.
These three responses have since become common myths and are why people dismiss low biotin as an issue altogether.
Let’s take a look at these three things you may have heard about biotin and why they’re wrong.
People don’t seem to talk about a biotin deficiency.
They act like it can’t even happen until researchers find people who are losing their hair, have brittle nails, and have poor skin and test their vitamin levels, only to find that they’re alarmingly low in biotin.
This very thing was showcased in a review of TWENTY studies that all looked at biotin levels in those experiencing hair loss and brittle nails, found that they were extremely low in biotin, and taking a high-quality biotin supplement rapidly improved their symptoms. [2]
It also doesn’t help that the symptoms of a biotin deficiency are things like depression, fatigue, and insomnia, ie. things that our society sadly sees as “part of life.” But WAY more people may be suffering than we think. Which brings me to my next point…
It’s true that biotin is present in a range of foods, such as lentils, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes.
But do they have enough?
That’s the most important question here. So, let’s take a look!
One of the foods highest in biotin is sunflower seeds. But here’s a thing… a quarter cup only contains 10% of your recommended daily intake.
Are you eating two and a half cups of sunflower seeds per day?
Probably not. But even if you are, remember that the recommended daily intake is only the amount needed to avoid a full-blown deficiency, NOT the amount needed to thrive.
Plus, the unfortunate truth is that due to soil degradation, our food is getting less and less nutritious. So much so that researchers have stated that we’d have to eat EIGHT of today’s oranges to get the same amount of nutrition that our grandparents would have gotten from just one orange. [3]
But maybe you’re not worried because you do one other thing…
This may be the worst part of it all. Why? Because we’ve been further misled into thinking a biotin deficiency couldn’t possibly be our issue because we pop a tablet every morning that contains vitamin B7.
But the unfortunate truth is that conventional supplements don’t make a difference.
So unless you’re taking a biotin supplement that’s guaranteed to get absorbed thanks to a sophisticated delivery method, you’re no better off than the rest of us.
But if there’s one thing I don’t want to do, it’s tell you about a problem without offering a solution.
So here’s what you can do to never again fall victim to being unknowingly low in biotin:
Take EverBella’s Complete Biotin Plus formula.
Unlike conventional pills or powders, my delicious liquid formula is infused with a patented micelle liposomal complex that ensures FULL absorption of top-quality biotin into your system.