I recently saw this news report for something called Biotin that is apparently good for us. Every time i turn on the damn television someone else is saying some new miracle drug. If you aren’t familiar with it (ilike I wasnt till i googled it) here is a link to what its about. What do yall think? Has anyone ever had an experience/used it? Or is this just a bunch of baloney like the rest of these supplement claims?
It is possibly good for horses’ hooves. If you are a horse, and have problem hooves, perhaps you can try it. As far as I know there is no study showing Biotin is effective at treating any known condition nor producing any medical result. Whether horse or human.
From UpToDate, a reputable medical site:
Biotin, aka Vitamin B7 or Vitamin H, is a water-soluble B vitamin which is essential for the activity of many important metabolic reactions. Its activity is required for the maintenance of many tissues, including skin and hair, and is required for normal neuronal and hematopoietic function.
RDA is 300 mcg a day, and it’s easy to come by in nearly all diets. Supplementation may be beneficial for select patients with a combo of cardiac disease, lipid disorders and diabetes, but more research is desirable.
Albarracin C, Fuqua B, Geohas J, et al, “Combination of Chromium and Biotin Improves Coronary Risk Factors in Hypercholesterolemic Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial,” J Cardiometab Syndr, 2007, 2(2):91-7. [PubMed 17684468 ]
Mainstream evidence-based medical practitioners are not currently advocating routine supplementation nor megadoses of this stuff.
This explains a lot:
“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
It’s one of those “if it makes you feel better, then use it”, not “use it to make you feel better”.
ETA: Beaten by the pro!
Y’all are responding as if this wasn’t just spam…
Anectdotal evidence suggests that it does promote the growth of body hair. So if ‘hairy’ is your thing, go right ahead.
Biotin supplement (IME) are often used to help grow and strengthen nails and hair. I’ve taken it myself for about a year now and definitely noticed a significant strengthening of my nails. This only happened about 3-4 months after I started.
Some have reported an increase in body hair (thickening mostly) and some acne issues from taking Biotin. Otherwise, I have not heard of other negative side effects.
Personally, I haven’t noticed much change with my hair. My nails don’t grow noticably faster but they are certainly quite stronger since.
I’ve taken Biotin supplements for a few years now, for my fingernails. I swim a lot and the chlorine really causes them to flake and peel if I don’t take the Biotin. Fairly low dose, though; only every other day or so.
Haven’t notice anything different about hair (still receeding up top, still not so much on body). Neither hair nor nails growing faster. I take minocyn for mild adult acne, anyway, so can’t say if there’s any difference.
My Dr. actually recommended the Biotin on seeing my fingernails flaking off, but mentioned that there were no really conclusive studies. He suggested it because he knew it helped with horses’ hooves. 
Agreed.
On the other hand, if you have an excess of inorganic biotin in your system, you need to take special, often expensive, supplements–typically substances that are liquid at ambient temperatures and hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. Without regular use of these supplements, your joints will be prone to severe stiffness. Ref: 1; 2.
Biotin is in most multivitamin supplements. I read somewhere (Consumer Reports?) that because biotin is relatively expensive and not something that people typically worry about, comparing the amount of biotin in multivitamins is a decent quick-and-dirty method of evaluating multivitamin quality: if the manufacturer didn’t skimp on biotin, they probably didn’t skimp on anything else either.
I started taking biotin and have noticed that my nails are stronger and grow MUCH faster. I also can’t skip shaving with the same impunity. Definitely not a placebo effect - my nails used to be very weak and slow-growing.
Those are Rickrolls of a sort, they have nothing to do with the discussion.
I would consider them to be more on the order of “jokes.”
I’m a senior citizen, and I’ve taken biotin for several years now. I can certainly tell the difference in my fingernails - they are much stronger. I do think the biotin has also helped with my hair.
I’ve noticed no side effects.
Sorry–inorganic biotin = tin; lack of oil makes the tin man unable to move. Didn’t say it was a funny aside, but given the OP…
As long as you put that word in quotation marks, I’m good with it. 