Biotin is an essential type of B complex vitamin, popularly known as vitamin B7 or vitamin BH. It’s also a water-soluble vitamin, meaning your body can’t store it like fat. Biotin is available naturally from our foods and in supplement form.

Liver, pork, cooked eggs, fish, milk, bananas, mushrooms, nuts, and seeds are biotin-rich sources.

Biotin is essential for significant metabolic actions, breaking down food to energy, supporting hair and nail growth, and supporting healthy brains and pregnancies.

Biotin is also essential for boosting cognitive functions and cell signaling through the neurotransmitters, which is necessary for effective communication throughout the body.

This article will explore biotin’s role in brain health and cognitive function in more detail. So, let’s get to it.

Biotin And Brain Function

Energy Metabolism in the Brain

According to this recent study, biotin is a significant cofactor for carboxylases, which regulate energy metabolism by synthesizing carbohydrates and fatty acids. This process helps produce glucose, ideal for supplying the brain with energy to perform its functions and improve brain activity.

Support For Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are the body’s natural chemical messengers. They are responsible for carrying chemical signals from one nerve cell to the next cell. They are vital for the body’s normal day-to-day functioning.

Biotin helps produce neurotransmitters such as dopamine. It also enhances the production of serotonin, improves mitochondrial function, and reduces cell loss. This study reveals some neurological diseases are caused by mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction associated with biotin deficiency.

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Journal, Biotin is crucial in preventing brain damage caused by manganese-induced neurodegeneration.

Experts account saying, Biotin supplementation shows potential as a therapeutic strategy to mitigate manganese-induced neurodegeneration, and the safety and tolerability of biotin in humans make it a promising candidate for further exploration,” said Sarkar Souvarish, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Departments of Environmental Medicine and Neuroscience and lead author of the study. “Biotin-rich prebiotics or biotin-producing probiotics could provide non-pharmacological intervention options, but more studies have to performed.

Myelin Formation

Myelin is a fatty sheath surrounding the nervous system that helps send electrical impulses to the nerves. It’s also responsible for neuron communication and improves signaling and brain health. It’s also ideal for achieving a healthy water balance, crucial to cognitive health.

Biotin is involved in ATP production, which affects myelin production by supporting and enhancing the synthesis of fatty acids.

According to this scientific report, biotin is associated with brain and memory support because it supports myelin content. The less myelin content there is, the higher the risk of decline in brain and cognitive health.

Therefore, biotin supports myelin formation, which promotes healthy brain cells and minimizes cellular damage from metabolic injury. This helps lower the long-term risk of neurodegenerative conditions, including Dementia and Alzheimer’s Diseases.

Protect Your Brain From Memory Loss—Discover Biotin’s Powerful Effects!

Benefits Of Biotin For Brain Health

Biotin has various health benefits, but let us focus on brain and cognitive health. Let’s have a look at some of these benefits as follows:
Memory and Focus
Biotin works with other B vitamins to protect the brain from memory loss and improve focus. It supports neurotransmitter activities and signaling, which are essential for improving memory and brain function and enhancing focus.

Biotin and other B vitamins also promote multiple homeostatic mechanisms in the brain, such as the glucose supply to the brain. These processes simultaneously enhance brain concentration, which promotes focus.

Mood Regulation
Biotin is essential for enhancing the production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotine. These neurotransmitters affect mood, feelings, hormone changes, and behavior. Therefore, healthy biotin levels ensure that moods are well-regulated.

Dieticians have also associated low levels of biotin and other vitamins, such as magnesium, with depressive symptoms and have seen healthy levels of biotin alleviate these said symptoms and improve moods in general.

Brain Fog Reduction
Biotin enhances mitochondrial functions and increases the energy supply in the brain and body. These activities and processes keep the brain active, improve mental clarity, prevent brain fog, and boost short-term memory.

Effects of Biotin Deficiency on the Brain

Biotin deficiency is rare but can sometimes occur in individuals for various reasons. This deficiency impacts and affects the brain negatively. The following are the effects:

  • You can experience some lethargy, which also affects your brain functions, causing brain fog, a lack of focus, and less clarity.
  • In children of developmental age bracket, biotin deficiency can cause neurological decline, which leads to hypotonia, seizures, ataxia, numbness, and tingling of the extremities, mental retardation.
  • Prolonged biotin deficiency may escalate the progression of chronic degenerative diseases and lead to long-term memory loss and the onset of diseases such as Dementia and Alzheimers.

Risk Factors For Biotin Deficiency

Various risk factors ranging from dietary medical to lifestyle elevate the risk of biotin deficiency. Let’s have a look at the below:

  • You have a high-risk factor if you have a poor diet that’s low on biotin sources or have a high consumption of alcohol. 
  • You also have a high-risk factor if you’re on a particular medication that affects biotin metabolism, like biotinidase deficiency. Interstitial malabsorption disorders and liver disease can also put an individual at the high-risk factor for biotin deficiency. Long-term use of medications such as antibiotics can also put you at a high risk as well. 
  • Pregnancies and breastfeeding also put women at a high risk of biotin deficiency and other vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. 
  • Bonus point: Eating raw eggs can lead to biotin deficiency because avidin binds to biotin and prevents its synthesis.

Sources Of Biotin For Brain Support

Biotin is a B vitamin that’s available in many food sources and even in dietary supplements. Let’s have a look at both:
Dietary Sources
These are natural food sources from which you can get biotin from your meals and regular diet.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans describe cooked eggs, pork, beef, lean meat, and some organ meats, such as liver, as good sources of biotin. Others include seafood like salmon, fruits like avocados, sweet potatoes, nuts, and seeds, which have a potent supply of Biotin.

Biotin Supplements
Sometimes, the biotin you get from your meals may be low, which is rare. When it happens, either because of low intake or medication interference, you can substitute Biotin supplements to close the vitamin gap.

You can get biotin supplements containing biotin only, mixed B vitamins, or multivitamin supplements. However, when picking your biotin supplement, the National Institute of Health suggests that the absorption rate of oral, free biotin is the best, with a 100% absorption rate. Therefore, making that the best form that you should pick if you. ​

Registered dietitian Courtney Barth, RD, LD, summarises it all by saying,
Biotin is in many of the foods we eat, such as fortified cereal, egg yolks, meat and legumes (like lentils, chickpeas and beans),” explains Barth. “And it’s always better to get your vitamins and minerals through a balanced diet rather than supplements.

Does Biotin Really Help Brain Health?

So, after all is said, is biotin great for brain health? Let’s look at some available facts and research that will help shed more light on whether or not it does.

According to Oregon State University Publication, biotin is associated with restoring lipid homeostasis and reversing the risk of chronic progressive multiple sclerosis caused by oxidative damage in the brain. Therefore, biotin is linked to improved brain health and neurodegenerative disease prevention.

Another research shows that biotin has neuroprotective properties that prevent myelin injury and reduce cell death, which is ideal for brain and memory support for biotin benefits. Additionally, experts argue that lower myelin content is associated with poor cognitive health and an increased risk of neurodegenerative brain diseases. Biotin increases the supply of myelin content, which shows improved mental health and reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Biotin also promotes a healthy nervous system by enhancing neurotransmitters and cellular health. These neurotransmitters support cell signaling and communication, boosting alertness, focus, and memory. Thus, there is a close link between biotin and brain health.

Improve Your Memory With Biotin! Get The Facts On Its Brain Benefits Now

FAQs

Does biotin improve brain health and cognitive function?

Yes, biotin improves brain health and cognitive functions.

Can biotin supplements help with memory and focus?

Biotin has properties that improve memory and boost brain focus.

What are the signs of biotin deficiency affecting the brain?

The most evident signs of biotin deficiency affecting the brain are a decline in cognitive abilities, depression, and poor motor and coordination skills.

What foods are rich in biotin for better brain health?

Cooked eggs, pork, beef, lean meat, liver, salmon, avocados, sweet potatoes, nuts, and seeds are all good sources of biotin.

Conclusion

There’s enough evidence that supports biotin for brain health. This vitamin B7 group has neuroprotective, antioxidant, and energy-boosting properties, among others, proving biotin’s benefits for brain health and cognitive functions.

Therefore, it is important to have a balanced diet that meets your nutritional needs and daily biotin intake.

However, if you can’t, you can take biotin supplements to complement your diet and achieve your nutritional biotin daily intake. Please note that it’s important to consult a professional before picking a supplement, as they are best informed to guide you in your supplementation journey.

These measures will help you with brain and memory support and reduce the risk of some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, in the long run.