Glycogen is a stored carbohydrate found in our liver and muscles. When we’re asleep or when we’re exercising, especially for prolonged periods of time, our body has this source of energy to call on. To unlock this glycogen, many chemical reactions need to take place and biotin is required to help out. Not only does biotin help to release energy from glycogen, it can also help convert amino acids from protein into energy. Both of these processes help to maintain our blood sugar balance. Biotin also helps in the synthesis of fatty acids in our body and this is essential for healthy cell development.

Biotin is also essential in maintaining healthy hair and skin. However, linking baldness or hair loss to a biotin deficiency is not always correct, and taking biotin supplements to combat it, will only show results if we are low in biotin to begin with. We need keep in mind that hairlines recede for many reasons, genetics is one, and hair health is dependent on many other nutrients.

There’s a few ways we can become deficient in biotin; the first is a lack of biotin in our diet; the second is through less common hereditary diseases that inhibit the absorption of biotin; and the third is from raw egg whites. Raw egg whites contain a protein called, avidin. When raw, this protein inhibits the absorption of biotin in our body. Cooked egg whites do not have the same effect.

Symptoms of a biotin deficiency can effect the hair and skin, causing hair loss or a red rash around the facial area. It can also effect energy levels and the metabolism of fatty acids and cholesterol in our body. This may lead to unusual fat distribution in the face. A biotin deficiency can also cause neurological symptoms, like depression or hallucinations.

Like with many nutrient deficiencies, a biotin deficiency during pregnancy can wreak havoc on an unborn baby. Even a mild deficiency that shows no or little symptoms in the mother, can still interfere with the proper neurological development in the baby.