Biotin Vitamin Supplement For Nails

Nails can become weak, soft, and prone to splitting and flaking, a condition known as brittle nails, which can have various causes, from nutritional deficiencies to overusing nail polish remover. While moisturizing nails and avoiding harsh chemicals found in certain nail products can help to maintain nail health, supplementing with biotin can strengthen nails, increasing nail thickness, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Biotin

Biotin, categorized as a B-complex vitamin, is water-soluble, and a cofactor to several enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, protein, and fatty acid synthesis, and is naturally abundant in egg yolks, liver, and yeast, according to The Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center at Oregon State University in Orgeon. Biotin deficiencies are rare, usually stemming from hereditary conditions or prolonged consumption of raw egg whites, which contain a protein that, unless made inactive by cooking, can bind to biotin, preventing its absorption, notes the Linus Pauling Institute's Micronutrient Information Center.

The Daily Adequate Intake of biotin recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board for men and women over age 19 is 30mcg daily, however substantially larger amounts, at 2,500 mcg or 2.5mg daily, are recommended to treat brittle nails, according to the Linus Pauling Institute's Micronutrient Information Center.

Significance

Supplementing with 2.5 mg of biotin daily improved nail thickness, reversing symptoms of brittle nail syndrome in in people suffering from the condition, while no evidence supported supplementation with Vitamin E, C, A, or B-12, or the minerals zinc, iron, copper, or selenium for improving nail health in otherwise well-nourished patients, according to Dr. Noah Scheinfeld and colleagues from the Department of Dermatology at Columbia University Presbyterian Hospital In New York City, in a 2007 literature review.

Effects

In patients with brittle nails who received 2.5mg of a biotin supplement for six months, 63 percent experienced clinical improvement in their nails, according to Dr. Lisa G. Hochman at the Department of Dermatology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, in New York and colleagues, in a study published 1993 in the journal Cutis.

Patients receiving biotin supplements to treat brittle nails experienced a 25 percent increase in nail thickness, reduced nail splitting and more regular cellular arrangements in the nail surface, with results corroborated by a scanning electron microscope, according to researcher Viktor Colombo at the F. Hoffman-LaRoche AG, in Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues, in a study published December, 1990 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Warnings

No adverse effects have been seen in people without biotin absorption issues who took up to 5,000 mcg, or 5mg, of biotin supplement daily, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Because of a lack of reports of biotin toxicity and adverse effects, the Institute of Medicine did not establish a tolerable upper level of intake for biotin, notes the Linus Pauling Institute's Micronutrient Information Center.

Considerations

Biotin is not the only nutrient important to nail health, and your diet and health in general can affect your nails' health and appearance. Despite studies showing biotin's benefits in helping to improve brittle nails, larger more controlled trials are still needed to gauge the effectiveness of treating brittle fingernails with high dose biotin supplementation, according to the Linus Pauling Institute's Micronutrient information Center. If you are considering taking biotin supplements to improve your nails, check with a health professional, especially if you have a chronic disease, are on medication, or are pregnant.