A well-balanced and nutritious diet has many benefits. On the other hand, a diet lacking in nutrients may cause various unpleasant symptoms. These symptoms are your body’s way of communicating potential vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
This article reviews the most common signs of vitamin and mineral deficiencies and how to address them. A variety of factors may cause brittle hair and nails. One of them is a lack of biotin.
Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, helps the body convert food into energy. A deficiency in biotin is very rare, but when it occurs, brittle, thinning, or splitting hair and nails are some of the most noticeable symptoms.
Other symptoms of biotin deficiency include chronic fatigue, muscle pain, cramps, and tingling in the hands and feet (1). Pregnant women, heavy smokers or drinkers, and people with digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease are at the greatest risk of developing biotin deficiency.
Also, the prolonged use of antibiotics and some anti-seizure medications is a risk factor (2Trusted Source).
Eating raw egg whites may cause biotin deficiency as well. That’s because raw egg whites contain avidin, a protein that binds to biotin and can reduce its absorption (1, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Foods rich in biotin include egg yolks, organ meats, fish, meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, yeast, whole grains, and bananas (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
Adults with brittle hair or nails might consider trying a supplement that provides about 30 micrograms of biotin per day.
However, only a few small studies and case reports have observed the benefits of supplementing with biotin, so a biotin-rich diet may be the best choice (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
Summary Biotin is a B vitamin involved in many body functions. It plays an important role in strengthening hair and nails. A deficiency in this vitamin is generally rare but may occur in certain cases. Lesions in and around the mouth may partly be linked to an insufficient intake of certain vitamins or minerals. For instance, mouth ulcers, also commonly referred to as canker sores, are often the result of deficiencies in iron or B vitamins.
