Throughout the ages men have struggled to get to grips with the dreaded hair loss and what to do about it. It is deemed inevitable, a part of growing old. Statistically, somewhere in the region of 85% of men will experience hair loss before the age of 50 and an astonishing 25% of men will experience some hair loss by the young age of just 21. These men are desperately seeking a solution to promote hair growth and one solution taking the male grooming world by storm is the use of biotin.

What is biotin?

Some of you may be wondering “What on earth is biotin?”. Well, biotin, or Vitamin B7 that it is more commonly known as is a natural substance found in many everyday foods. However, interestingly at a molecular level, biotin has an unusual structure in that it is formed of two rings fused on one side. It’s main function within the body is as an important component of enzymes that affects amino acids and cell growth as it metabolizes fats and carbohydrates. In layman’s terms it gives energy to cells to promote growth. It is this property that a lot of men are now looking at to understand what biotin hair benefits actually are for them. The effect of biotin on hair growth is that it metabolises the cells in the hair follicle, this promoting the hair to grow. In fact, one medical tell tale sign of taking large quantities of biotin is fast hair growth!

How do I get biotin in my body?

Men ingest biotin everyday through a wide variety of foods from different food groups, such as eggs, cheddar cheese, meat organs (liver, kidney, heart etc), bran, almonds or avocado without any ill effect. In fact, some men may find they have a rare biotin deficiency in which they need to take biotin supplements, although this is an extremely rare condition. There are severe symptoms and issues for men associated with a biotin deficiency. Suspected biotin deficiencies should always be treated by a Dr to establish the underlying cause and proceed with the correct treatment.

What are the safe limits?

Many studies have been undertaken to understand the impact of taking biotin at different levels. Both the European Food Safety Authority and the US Institute of Medicine state the recommended adequate levels of daily intake as high as 30μg and 40μg respectively. In fact, in the UK the adequate daily level is recommended to be 50μg. Even if these levels are exceeded via supplements and/or biotin foods, the vitamin is water soluble so any excess biotin is processed through urine and passes harmlessly through the body. Studies have shown that men who seek fast hair growth should aim to actually consume as much as 1000μg of biotin each day!

Men taking biotin and eating biotin foods should be aware that the excessive consumption of eggs can actually induce a biotin deficiency due to the avidil found within egg whites. Avidil acts as an anti-nutrient and prevents absorption of biotin.

The side effects

Biotin studies have proven that there are no negative side effects to taking biotin for hair growth. Although in certain, extremely rare cases it is possible to experience nausea, diarrhea and cramping with large quantities of biotin being taken for hair growth. These extremely rare side effects can be overcome by ensuring any biotin supplements or biotin foods are taken with non-biotin foods. There are signs of taking large amounts of biotin. Prior to extremely rare symptoms being experienced, men would notice rapid hair growth and rapid nail growth. If you are in doubt you should consult a medical professional.

Clearly, the medical evidence and studies conducted demonstrate the benefits of taking biotin to promote hair growth greatly outweigh the extremely small risks of mild discomfort in rare circumstances. In fact, most men will focus on being able to walk around with confidence and in a proud stature with a head full of hair as this is the most likely result of taking biotin to promote hair growth.

Men thinking about taking biotin for hair can rest assured that the vitamin is safe to consume, proven to work in promoting hair growth and that they can ingest the required biotin through a variety of different ways, whether that be biotin foods or biotin supplements.