January 8, 2025 • 41 mins
Ever wonder how vital biotin is for your hair, skin and nails? Host Dr. Holly Thacker helps you discover its critical role not just for your beauty routine but also for pregnancy. She also discusses the roles of potassium, protein and key vitamins in maintaining those luscious locks.
The conversation doesn't stop there; Dr. Thacker shares nutrient-dense foods that can transform your meals while being kind to your waistline.
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Speaking of Women's Health
podcast and happy new year 2025.
I'm your host, dr Holly Thacker, the Executive Director of
Speaking of Women's Health, andI'm back in the Sunflower House
in the third season for a newepisode of the Speaking of
(00:25):
Women's Health podcast, andwe're going to talk about biotin
and also talk aboutnutrient-dense foods.
So what is biotin?
Biotin is vitamin H, also knownas B7,.
It's one of the B-complexvitamins that help the body
(00:49):
convert food into energy and,like all B vitamins, it's
water-soluble, which means ourbody does not store it, and any
amount in the body that is notabsorbed is usually excreted in
the urine.
So vitamin H stands for haarand hot, which are the German
(01:15):
words for hair and skin.
And what woman doesn't careabout her hair and skin?
In fact, my office staff I'mlooking at you, alexandra, our
lead nurse she's always tellingme oh, you need to moisturize
your hair.
Oh, please put some rosemaryoil on your scalp to help your
(01:38):
scalp, you know, protect yourhair from the sun so it doesn't
get damaged.
So women tend to associatetheir femininity with hair, and
I've talked a lot about hair onsome of our prior podcasts, in
fact, season one, june of 2023,and season two in June of 2024,
(02:02):
right around Father's Daymid-June, and season two in June
of 2024, right around Father'sDay mid-June.
I had podcasts dedicated tohair and that hair thinning is
not just for dear old dad or themale sex.
So biotin has got thatreputation for skin and hair.
I think clinically it actuallyis better for the nails than the
(02:25):
hair, but biotin is animportant vitamin that is needed
for your not just your hair andskin and nails, but your eyes
and your liver and your centralnervous system.
And biotin is also a crucialnutrient during pregnancy, as
(02:46):
it's important for the growth ofthe embryo and fetus.
And even though speaking ofwomen's health is primarily
focused on midlife and beyond,which is kind of my area of
specialization as a specializedwomen's health physician
specializing in menopause andhormones and all things midlife,
(03:07):
preventive health andfunctional medicine and
anti-aging, we do cover a lot ofyounger women's health topics
and we have a number of podcastson pregnancy.
One in August of 2023 was onbreastfeeding.
So there's a lot of greatinformation that you can easily
(03:29):
access and listen to when you'reexercising or walking or doing
chores.
So, getting back to biotin, howmuch do you need?
Well, it kind of depends onyour age.
From birth to six months,neonates and babies only need
(03:50):
five micrograms.
Infants from seven to 12 monthsneed six micrograms.
Toddlers from one to three needeight micrograms, need 8
micrograms.
Children like my granddaughterArtemis, who's 4, 4 to 8 years
(04:11):
of age, need 12 micrograms.
Older children, 9 to 13, need20 micrograms.
Teenagers need 25 micrograms.
Adults in general need 30micrograms and breastfeeding
teens and women um at least 30to 35, uh micrograms.
(04:36):
So many skin and hair vitaminshave 5,000 micrograms or even
10,000, sometimes mega, megadoses of biotin sometimes are
used in central nervousconditions such as multiple
sclerosis, and most of us getenough biotin from the food we
(05:01):
eat, but there are some peoplewho are more likely than others
to have trouble getting enoughbiotin.
So people with a rare geneticdisorder called biotinidase
deficiency, people that havealcohol dependence and we have a
lot of good information onspeaking of Women's Health,
(05:22):
about substance abuse, alcoholproblems, smoking cessation of
which we have an upcomingpodcast on smoking cessation,
which is so important and alsopregnant and breastfeeding women
need just more nutrients.
In general, biotin isdefinitely necessary for a
(05:44):
healthy pregnancy.
Like all the B vitamins,including folic acid and
L-methylfolate, is a much longeracting, bioavailable, bioactive
B complex vitamin compared tojust plain folate.
Studies show that about a thirdof pregnant women in the United
(06:06):
States have some biotindeficiency, and we need more
research to understand why, butI'm sure a lot of it has to do
with the American diet, and ifyou have not heard our podcast
on food freedom and banned foodsand a lot of the toxic
substances that are gratuitouslyin our food supply, it's really
(06:27):
worth a listen or a read if yougo on speakingonwomanshealthcom
.
So, during pregnancy, women needgood sources of protein.
They need good sources ofB-complex vitamins Choline
Choline is very important forthe brain of B-complex vitamins.
(06:50):
Choline Choline is veryimportant for the brain.
And we also need omega-3s, anda lot of women are deficient in
omega-3 fatty acids or they havetoo much omega-6 from some of
the seed oils and processedfoods in our diet.
And it is important to know,though, that super high doses of
biotin, though, can bedangerous to the developing baby
, so additional supplementationis generally not recommended.
(07:12):
Now, choline like eating an egga day has shown brain benefits
to babies and also youngchildren.
So let's talk about some of thebiotin rich foods Meat, beef,
liver so three ounces of beefliver has 30 micrograms of
(07:35):
biotin, and that makes completesense because most of the biotin
is actually stored in our liver.
So any type of liver isgenerally high in biotin.
Salmon Well, three ounces ofsalmon has five micrograms of
biotin, and salmon's also a richsource of omega-3, which is
also good for the hair, and it'skind of low in purines, because
(07:58):
some of the fish foods that arereally good in omega-3s can be
high in purines and that can, insome people, increase the risk
of gout.
So it's this constant balanceand some of it depends on your
metabolism and your genetics andother medications that you're
on.
Eggs Eggs are a wonderfulnutritional source.
(08:20):
Not only do they have cholineand high protein, but, um, and
they're low in calories andthey're filling.
Uh, one egg has about 10micrograms of biotin.
So when I have my grandchildrenI really always try to make
some sort of egg dish Seeds andnuts Uh, a sunflower seed a
(08:41):
quarter cup has 2.6 micrograms.
Almonds a quarter cup have 1.5micrograms, which is kind of low
, but also the almonds have theomega-3s.
Vegetables sweet potatoes ahalf a cup has 2.5 micrograms.
Spinach a half a cup has just ahalf of a microgram.
(09:02):
Broccoli, which is acruciferous vegetable which does
have a little bit of omega-3sactually, and has DIM, which is
an anti-HPV substance that helpsfight.
It has about 0.4 micrograms.
(09:24):
An avocado a medium avocado has1.85 micrograms of biotin.
Tuna another source that'sreally rich in omega-3, but it
does have more purines Threeounces has 0.6 micrograms of
biotin.
Now, in general we don'trecommend eating tuna more than
(09:47):
once a week because some tuna iscontaminated with mercury, and
pregnant and breastfeeding womendo have to be aware of this.
Dairy If you didn't hear mypodcast on all things cheese and
healthy cheese, you shoulddefinitely listen to that one.
And I think one way to find outas opposed to scrolling through
(10:12):
our almost hundreds of podcaststhat we already have posted is
if you go onspeakingofwomenshealthcom and
put in podcast and then thetopic you're interested in, or
just the topic you're interestedin, it will bring up articles
as well as podcasts.
That's a fast way and then youget the date and it will tell
you what episode and what seasonto go to, and also there is a
(10:32):
search feature on the podcast ofseason one and season two and
now season three.
So dairy cheddar cheese oneounce has 0.4 micrograms of
biotin.
A cup of 2% milk has 0.4micrograms of biotin.
A cup of 2% milk has 0.3micrograms.
A cup of plain yogurt which isreally good for your gut,
(10:52):
microbiome, is good for calciumand protein is filling is 0.2
micrograms of biotin.
Legumes like soybeans androasted peanuts are rich in
biotin and also good sources ofprotein and fiber.
Mushrooms, which really have somany nutrients.
I really wish I liked mushrooms.
(11:13):
I do like truffle sauce,elegant foods, but in general
mushrooms are very nutritiousand 120 grams of canned button
mushrooms contain 2.6 microgramsof biotin, which is almost 20,
which is almost 10% of yourrecommended daily amount.
(11:37):
Bananas bananas which are alsorich in magnesium, which a lot
of women don't get enough of,which are also rich in magnesium
, which a lot of women don't getenough of.
One small banana has 0.2micrograms of biotin.
An oatmeal a cup of oatmeal has0.2 micrograms of biotin.
So if you sprinkle some almondsand slice up some bananas and
add a splash of milk, you'regetting a decent amount of
(12:01):
biotin.
So if you eat a balanced dietand you're healthy, it's really
rare to get biotin deficiency.
But there are symptoms if you'relow on biotin, like hair
thinning, red rash around youreyes, nose and genital areas,
(12:22):
brittle nails that crackdepression areas, brittle nails
that crack depression.
Also, low zinc levels and lowomega-3 levels and low B-complex
levels, like B12, can beassociated with depression, and
for a list of zinc-rich foods,just put in the word zinc on
speakinginwomenshealthcomPekingWomensHealthcom.
(12:50):
Other signs of low biotin canbe lethargy, hallucinations,
paresthesias or numbness of yourhands and feet.
That implies that there isnerve irritation and even
outright seizures or convulsions.
Now, while biotin is great foryour body and is necessary, it
is important to understand thebiotin warning and actually when
(13:10):
our women patients see us inthe Center for Specialized
Women's Health, we have this bigX mark with a biotin warning,
because a lot of people don'trealize that high doses of
biotin really interfere andcause crazy lab results which
can result in some disasters.
Because if you have heartfailure or heart attack and you
(13:34):
go to the emergency room andyour labs are falsely normal,
they're not going to think thatyou have a heart problem.
But if you're on high doses ofbiotin, that could falsely
affect the blood work.
Also, it affects a lot of othercommonly ordered labs that we
order, like hormone levels andestrogen and thyroid, and so
many of the hair and nailsupplements contain mega doses
(13:58):
like 5,000 to up to 10,000micrograms.
So if you are getting bloodwork done, it's important that
you should stop taking biotinsupplements three days before
the test.
And because of all the labinterferences I've seen, I'm
just not a big fan of usingsupplements.
I'm a fan of supplementingvitamin D because a lot of
(14:20):
people can't get enough in theirdiet if they don't eat like an
Alaskan and most people justdon't live near the equator
year-round to expose their skin.
I'm also a big fan of magnesiumbecause that's the second most
common deficiency.
But in general, it's best toget your nutrients from your
foods.
I'm not a super big fan oftaking omega-3 supplements
(14:43):
either.
Some patients have to.
They just won't eat any seafoodand they don't eat enough of
the non-seafood variety to getthe right ratios of omega-3.
So just remember, if you'rehaving blood tests done for
heart for BNP a heart failureblood test, anemia, folate, b12,
(15:05):
estrogen, thyroid that you canget really wacky results that
aren't accurate.
So what are the truth aboutthese biotin supplements?
They're very much promoted forimproving nail, skin and hair
Because, as I've said before, wewomen do a lot of things for
(15:26):
skin and hair and some of ourmost popular podcasts are on
skin and hair, our skincareestheticians that we had in
season one and season two aboutall these great skincare
products.
In fact, I finally did go getthat perfect peel and I was so
afraid to do it because Ithought it would just be so
uncomfortable.
It wasn't Aesthetician LoriSkarsgård was right, it was
(15:51):
great.
It, you know, helped tightenthe pores and just bring new,
fresh skin.
So I understand that women wantto have a thick mane, but
taking mega doses for mostpeople is not going to help and
there are so many other thingsthat you can do to be healthy
(16:15):
and, as I mentioned, I see moreclinical improvement in the
nails.
I do recommend collagensupplements like gelatin.
I think that helps the hair andthe nails.
Using really good skincareproducts and protecting your
hair from harsh chemicals, fromthe harsh sunlight.
I've started to use a spray onkind of sunscreen for the hair
(16:40):
and I'm trying to be moreconsistent with wearing a full
cap as opposed to just a golfvisor when I'm outside golfing.
So, like we said, therecommended dose is between 30
to 35 micrograms and it's bestto get it from natural sources.
If you're taking a multiplevitamin, look to see how much
(17:03):
biotin is in it.
If it's much over 300micrograms.
It's really going to interferewith your blood work and I think
it's just a good idea to alwaysbring in your supplements not
pictures, but the actual bottlesto look at the lot number and
the expiration and to seeexactly what's in everything.
(17:25):
You have been listening to theSpeaking Women's Health Podcast
and I am your host, dr HollyThacker, in the Sunflower House
in season three.
I'm talking all things biotinas well as talking about super
nutrient dense foods, which iskind of hopefully getting the
most bang for your buck in termsof the most nutrients and not
(17:48):
much calories.
So that's another thing that wewomen care so much about is our
weight.
So, in terms of diabetesmanagement, some studies show
that biotin may help manage someof the symptoms of diabetes by
lowering blood sugar andcholesterol and some blood fats.
(18:09):
It doesn't really have too mucheffects on insulin, uh, and it
also may be used in neurologicconditions like multiple
sclerosis.
I remember um moving to tostart my residency several years
ago and I had so many patientsmany young women and some men
(18:32):
and some older patients withmultiple sclerosis, which can be
a pretty devastating diseasebecause it affects various parts
of the nervous system, both thebrain and the peripheral
nervous system and spinal cordin various spaces at various
times, and now we do have a lotmore potent treatments to affect
(18:58):
the immune system.
Boosting vitamin D issignificant, and I remember
wondering why, when you gofarther north, do you have more
multiple sclerosis?
Well, you also have less sunand much lower vitamin D levels,
and so vitamin D and nutrientsplay such an important role in
so many disease conditions.
(19:22):
Now I want to shift and talk alittle bit about some nutrient
dense foods.
There's a great assessment oflike which foods kind of pack
the most nutrients per punch andat the 100% rating in terms of
comparing all of them, in termsof giving a score like the top,
(19:44):
top, top number is watercress.
They're so low in calories andthey're so stocked full of
nutrients.
I add watercress to some of mychicken dishes, some of my
vegetable dishes.
They give a nice crunch.
They're not very much calories.
In fact, last Thanksgiving,when I was making my green bean
(20:07):
casserole, my husband Tom saidwell, it doesn't call for
watercress in the traditionalgreen bean Thanksgiving
casserole.
And I'm like I know your wife,who's a physician, who's not
necessarily that great a cook,certainly does know a lot about
nutrition though, and that's whyI add the watercress and I put
(20:28):
in a second jar of them for agood measure.
Chinese cabbage that is a funthing to experiment with with
various dishes.
Obviously it's in a lot ofethnic foods.
Sometimes I think it'sunderused and it clocks in at
almost 92.
Chard is at 89.
(20:51):
Beet greens at 87.
And just a little word aboutbeets and red beets.
They really do promote nitricoxide, which is very important
for artery walls.
It's one reason why estrogenhas such good benefits in
recently menopausal women interms of cardiovascular
prevention is, besides improvinglipids in many women, it also
(21:15):
improves nitric oxide.
It's a mild calcium channelblocker, helps keep things
elastic, and one of the foodsthat's really rich in nitric
oxide is red beets.
Now, if you have a lot of redbeets it will make you think
that you're having rectalbleeding because your stool can
be quite red.
So you have to kind of beprepared for that, and some
(21:37):
people, like my husband, theyjust don't like the taste of
beets and you can pop a um likered beet powder.
Some people add it to smoothiesSpinach good old spinach Um and
that has some calcium in it.
There are some omega threes inspinach, lots of B complex
(21:58):
vitamins.
It clocks in at 86.
Chicory clocks in at 73.
Leaf lettuce you know somepeople say, oh, it's just
worthless, there's hardly anycalories.
You're just, you know,exercising your jaw by chewing
and that's not true.
Actually it has a nutrientdensity score of 70.
(22:19):
Parsley A lot of people just useparsley for a garnish, but it
has a lot of nutrients.
It freshens the breath.
Some people say there's a mildaphrodisiac component to it.
I have a nice column up onherbs and spices where I go into
some of the lore and some ofthe science with these
(22:43):
accoutrements.
One of my favorite recipes, onSpeaking of Women's Health, is
the Italian wedding soup.
You use sirloin beef andthere's some egg and there's
some parmesan cheese and youalso chop up small amounts of
fresh parsley to put in thelittle mini meatballs and use an
(23:05):
orzo type pasta and have lotsof spinach.
And on a winter day, oh, thatis such a soothing soup.
So it's not just for weddingsand maybe we'll put that link in
the show notes.
Romaine lettuce clocks in at 63.
(23:27):
I like to chop up romainelettuce and stir fry it in a
little bit of olive oil andsprinkle just a little bit of
garlic and salt and pepper andnot have to use any type of
dressing other than just.
You know I use the extra virginolive oil in the skillet and
that that makes for a nice, warm, wilted salad.
(23:48):
Collard greens A lot of peoplelike to have collard greens on
New Year's day.
There's a lot of nutrients.
Cloxin at 62.
Turnip greens also at 62 andmustard green at 61.
Endive is an interestingtasting vegetable used in salads
(24:13):
that clocks in at 60.
Chive, which is great forseasoning and also decoration,
clocks in at 54.
Kale you know there's alwaysthis oh, is kale the new spinach
?
Well, spinach does outrank kaleon lots of levels of nutrients
(24:33):
and some people do have troubledigesting kale.
So kale clocks in at 49.
When I use kale I like to breakit into tiny little pieces and
massage olive oil to soften itand then put some seasoning and
maybe add chickpeas, maybe alittle bit of fruit, sometimes
(24:55):
some quinoa which is pretty richin protein.
Dandelion greens a lot of timesthat's used at fancy
restaurants clocks in at 46.
Red pepper, which can be usedin so many dishes and used just
to eat plain or with dips, is 41.
Arugula 37.
(25:17):
Broccoli 34.
Pumpkin you know pumpkin is notjust for Thanksgiving.
It is so rich in vitamin A,which is good for the skin.
Now, vitamin A is definitely avitamin.
That's a true vitamin, asopposed to vitamin D.
And just twice the daily amountcan be toxic to a developing
(25:41):
fetus and can deposit in theliver.
So I have seen people overdoseon vitamin E, these people who
decide to eat a bag of carrots aday as an example, but pumpkin
clocks in at 33.
Brussels sprouts my husbandcalls them the green gonads.
Brussel sprouts Uh, my husbandcalls them the green gonads.
Oh, I love brussel sprouts.
Um, and there's so manydifferent ways to roast them, to
(26:07):
grill them.
I like to just slice them inhalf and, uh, sprinkle Parmesan
cheese on the bottom and justput them face down and and bake
them.
Uh, and that's one of my fun,easy ways of doing that.
And Brussels sprouts do haveomega-3 in them and clock in at
32.
And also are really good athaving that substance, dim,
(26:27):
which we really encourage.
Foods like broccoli, brusselssprouts, sauerkraut, cauliflower
, cabbage particularly foranybody who has HPV, human
papillomavirus, scallion at 27,great to season things.
Anything in the onion family Ilove.
Kohlrabi clocks in at 25.
(26:50):
Cauliflower clocks in at 25.
And actually, raw cauliflowercontains nicotine.
Just as a little interestingthought, Cabbage clocks in at 24
.
I love cabbage, cabbage noodles, cold slaw.
(27:12):
What's cold slaw withoutcabbage?
Carrots clock in at 22.
Tomato 20.
They have a lot of lycopene.
It's good for the eyes, forprostate health.
Lemon, which has citrus in it.
It's good for reducing kidneystones.
I always tell my patients witha history of kidney stones to
(27:33):
always add some citrus or lemonto their water.
If you didn't listen to ourpodcast on kidney stones, that's
a good one to go back to listento.
Good old iceberg lettuce is notworthless by any means, and it's
not just something to have youchew on.
It actually clocks in at 18 onthe nutrient density score.
(27:54):
Strawberries 17.
Radish 16.
All varieties of winter squash13.
Orange, 12.
Lime 12.
Grapefruit both the pink andthe red 11.
(28:16):
Rutabaga and turnips clock inat 11.
Blackberries and blackberriesand blueberries and raspberries
have all sorts of polyphenolsand antioxidants, and
blackberries clock in at 11.
Leekseks at 10.
(28:36):
Sweet potato at 10.
And then white grapefruit at 10.
Grapefruit's very interesting.
It can affect metabolism ofmedicines and if you did not
read our column on foods asmedicine and foods that interact
with medicine, that's veryimportant.
A lot of times people get verystrict instructions on, um, what
(29:00):
foods not to eat before surgeryfor anesthesia.
And, uh, if you go on some wildgrapefruit diet where you're
eating you know grapefruitsmultiple times a day I know that
was a craze for a while.
That can really interact withvarious medications, including
(29:23):
blood pressure medicines andother critical medications.
So you might ask well, how dowe get this rating of 100 to 10?
It didn't look at every singlenutrient.
I guess I should have startedwith that.
It's based on a 2000 caloriediet, which for a lot of midlife
women is more calories than youactually need, but maybe for a
(29:45):
young adult or a growing personor a pregnant or breastfeeding
woman.
And it looked at potassium,fiber, protein, calcium we have
so much information on ourwebsite on calcium Iron.
A lot of women are low on iron.
The very first podcast I did inseason one was on iron.
(30:08):
Thiamine, which is a B1 complex.
Riboflavin is B2.
We sometimes use high doses ofriboflavin to help prevent
migraine headaches.
That's a common tip.
I've had a lot of women getcontrol of their migraines,
which is boosting theirmagnesium and their riboflavin.
(30:30):
And if you didn't hear mypodcast on migraine headache,
that's a very important onebecause half of us have migraine
headaches headache, that's avery important one because half
of us have migraine headaches.
Niacin, folate althoughL-methylfolate is the most
active one that helps supportmethionine in the body processes
and people that have bothgenetic mutations for the MTHFR
(30:53):
mutation don't convert regularfolate to L-methylfolate and we
have columns on MTHFR mutationand mood and attention spans and
depression.
And certainly a lot of foodsare used or nutritional
supplements to help boost themood.
(31:16):
Nutritional supplements to helpboost the mood.
Also in the 17 nutrients forranking these foods was vitamin
A, b6, which is pyridoxine.
B12, which is the biggestlargest vitamin, cyanocobalamin.
I usually check B12 levelsevery five years, particularly
in people over age 65 or peoplethat are on glucovage metformin,
(31:36):
which we've talked about inother podcasts in terms of for
sugar control and anti-aging.
People on stomach acid blockerslike omeprazole.
Protonics can be low in B12 andthat can really affect your
central nervous system andperipheral nervous system.
Vitamin D, vitamin E and vitaminK there's K1 and there's K2.
(31:59):
And our website has a greatlisting of what the differences
are.
K1 has to do with bloodclotting.
K2, also known as M7, is veryimportant for bone health and
driving calcium into the bonesand not the arteries.
Very few foods have K2.
(32:33):
Japanese natto, which ourfellow who's going to be on the
podcast, dr Nayoung Sung, eats alot of natto.
She brought in some greatfermented natto with different
toppings for us to try, andthese rankings of the 17
nutrients were based on 100grams of food, expressed as 100
kilocrams of 100 kilocalories,and the scores were capped at
100, meaning that, on average,100% of the daily amount of a
qualifying nutrient per 100calories.
(32:56):
Now, some of these foods don'thave very many calories, so you
may not eat 100 calories of thatfood.
So, in summary, it's best to getyour essential nutrients and
minerals and vitamins from yourdiet, and that includes biotin,
which is that popular hairmainly nail B7 or vitamin H, and
(33:25):
most of the research showsthere's really not a benefit.
I think biotin is thrown intoother supplements.
Zinc and iron help the hair,protein helps the hair.
Some of the expensive hairvitamins that I talked about in
the June of 2024 hair losspodcast, where I really went
into all these differentvitamins, some of them have saw
(33:47):
palmetto, which is an herb thatreduces testosterone, and
obviously if you're a pregnantwoman or if you're a woman who's
low in testosterone, you don'twant to necessarily be taking
this saw palmetto.
Nutritional deficiencies andstress and hormone imbalance are
certainly common causes of hairloss.
There are other skin disordersthat can cause different types
(34:09):
of hair loss that really need tobe handled by a dermatologist
or someone who's expert in that.
The optimal iron ferritin levelto maintain hair is at least 50
to 70.
Low zinc levels I find low zinclevels regularly, just like I
find very low vitamin D levels.
Under 60 is just too low.
(34:31):
Your body's going to try toconserve itself if you don't
have enough nutrients, so extrathings like skin and nails are
not as critical to you stayingalive.
So think of it that way.
Vitamin D levels for hairgrowth really should be up to 75
.
And I have a lot of women whoget a vitamin D level of 80 or
(34:51):
83 and their nurse practitioneror their physician or somebody
in the health field says oh,that's too high.
Well, you can get too high invitamin A, but it's very hard to
get too high in vitamin D, andso lifeguards get levels of up
to 150 in the summer.
So a level of 80 or 90 is finewith me.
Lack of good quality protein inthe diet can impair hair growth.
(35:14):
So you need really good protein, and ingesting high quality
protein helps with satiety,helps with muscle repair and
development, and too many of usare crowding out protein with
carbohydrates.
Now one thing I would like tosay about vitamin D, though.
(35:36):
There are some patients thathave sarcoidosis, which is
common the farther south you go,just like MS is more common the
farther northern latitude yougo, to the poles, the North Pole
, some granulomas and sarcoma orsarcoidosis rather, sarcoidosis
can make too much vitamin D.
(35:56):
Now, low vitamin E levels andtrace mineral deficiencies can
also contribute to hair loss,and if you use olive oil and get
lots of nuts and seeds, mostpeople can get enough vitamin E
in their diet.
Now sometimes I do recommendseparate vitamin E for people
(36:16):
who've had a history of bloodclots, for women with hot
flashes.
Now there are medicines that areassociated with hair loss, like
chemotherapy, and certainlytaking oral minoxidil or Rogaine
or Topical can be associatedwith hair growth or topical can
be associated with hair growth.
(36:37):
Votess is the hair vitamin thatdoes not contain biotin but
does contain trace minerals 0.8milligrams of iron, 10
milligrams of zinc, which ispretty close to the RDA
B-complex vitamins, and it alsohas an herb called ashwagandha
(36:59):
which is touted at reducingadrenal stress, and it does have
a probiotic hormone in it atdoses of two capsules twice a
day neutrophil.
There's different formulationsfor pre-menopausal women,
post-menopausal women and it hasa very hefty dose of biotin at
2500 micrograms which, like I,definitely interferes with labs,
other over-the-counter vitaminoptions or topical options
(37:23):
topical minoxidil, 5% Rogaine Iapply it with a Q-tip to my
lateral eyebrows.
Topical castor oil and rosemaryoil have been used for eyelash,
eyebrow and top of the headgrowth.
Like my nurse is always tellingme to put rosemary on my scalp,
I have I don't know that it'smade a difference.
(37:45):
Revitalash you can put on theliners of your eyelashes.
I've used it.
I do think it makes theeyelashes longer.
Contains topical peptides,topical biotin which I think is
fine, and conditioners.
But really, if you want tolearn a lot more about hair loss
treatments, products andoptions, please listen to my
podcast or read my column on thelatest on treatments for hair
(38:07):
loss, hair thinning and alopecia.
It has styling tips and I'mreally impressed with so many of
the detachable hair accessories.
In fact, I've worn them acouple of times on the podcast
or when I go to princess eventswith my granddaughters, because
(38:28):
they like such long, long hairthat I can't grow A lot of the
wigs for our patients undergoingchemotherapy and losing hair
with human hair or substancesthat are much more comfortable
to put on the scalp and abaseball cap.
Some women, you know, just willput on a baseball cap when
they're undergoing chemotherapy.
(38:48):
I saw a lovely woman in theoffice today who was just
wrapping up her chemotherapy andshe looked really quite stylish
and chic in her baseball cap.
And my cousin Marnie, who hadHodgkin's disease.
She's dearly departed but shefought that cancer, had another
cancer and lived several decadesafter her cancers.
(39:11):
I remember when she underwentchemotherapy and was losing her
long, beautiful blonde hair,which she did grow back.
When she underwent chemotherapyand was losing her long,
beautiful blonde hair, which shedid grow back, she just put on
a baseball cap.
So, um, whatever it is thatmakes you uh, feel your best
self and and so many women areso invested in hair, almost too
(39:31):
much, because then it sets upthis very stressful cycle of
being so obsessed with the hairand getting so anxious, causing
more adrenal stress hormones,causing more hair shedding.
So that is a good summary onall things biotin and
nutrient-dense foods and thankyou all for joining us in the
(39:57):
Sunflower House and if youenjoyed this episode, please
subscribe for free.
Hit follow.
You can subscribe on ApplePodcasts, spotify, tune in
wherever you listen and if youenjoyed this episode, give us a
five-star rating or share it.
And thanks again, and I lookforward to seeing you in the
(40:20):
Sunflower House again.
Remember, be strong, be healthyand be in charge.
Welcome to the Speaking of Women's Health
podcast and happy new year 2025.
I'm your host, dr Holly Thacker, the Executive Director of
Speaking of Women's Health, andI'm back in the Sunflower House
in the third season for a newepisode of the Speaking of
(00:25):
Women's Health podcast, andwe're going to talk about biotin
and also talk aboutnutrient-dense foods.
So what is biotin?
Biotin is vitamin H, also knownas B7,.
It's one of the B-complexvitamins that help the body
(00:49):
convert food into energy and,like all B vitamins, it's
water-soluble, which means ourbody does not store it, and any
amount in the body that is notabsorbed is usually excreted in
the urine.
So vitamin H stands for haarand hot, which are the German
(01:15):
words for hair and skin.
And what woman doesn't careabout her hair and skin?
In fact, my office staff I'mlooking at you, alexandra, our
lead nurse she's always tellingme oh, you need to moisturize
your hair.
Oh, please put some rosemaryoil on your scalp to help your
(01:38):
scalp, you know, protect yourhair from the sun so it doesn't
get damaged.
So women tend to associatetheir femininity with hair, and
I've talked a lot about hair onsome of our prior podcasts, in
fact, season one, june of 2023,and season two in June of 2024,
(02:02):
right around Father's Daymid-June, and season two in June
of 2024, right around Father'sDay mid-June.
I had podcasts dedicated tohair and that hair thinning is
not just for dear old dad or themale sex.
So biotin has got thatreputation for skin and hair.
I think clinically it actuallyis better for the nails than the
(02:25):
hair, but biotin is animportant vitamin that is needed
for your not just your hair andskin and nails, but your eyes
and your liver and your centralnervous system.
And biotin is also a crucialnutrient during pregnancy, as
(02:46):
it's important for the growth ofthe embryo and fetus.
And even though speaking ofwomen's health is primarily
focused on midlife and beyond,which is kind of my area of
specialization as a specializedwomen's health physician
specializing in menopause andhormones and all things midlife,
(03:07):
preventive health andfunctional medicine and
anti-aging, we do cover a lot ofyounger women's health topics
and we have a number of podcastson pregnancy.
One in August of 2023 was onbreastfeeding.
So there's a lot of greatinformation that you can easily
(03:29):
access and listen to when you'reexercising or walking or doing
chores.
So, getting back to biotin, howmuch do you need?
Well, it kind of depends onyour age.
From birth to six months,neonates and babies only need
(03:50):
five micrograms.
Infants from seven to 12 monthsneed six micrograms.
Toddlers from one to three needeight micrograms, need 8
micrograms.
Children like my granddaughterArtemis, who's 4, 4 to 8 years
(04:11):
of age, need 12 micrograms.
Older children, 9 to 13, need20 micrograms.
Teenagers need 25 micrograms.
Adults in general need 30micrograms and breastfeeding
teens and women um at least 30to 35, uh micrograms.
(04:36):
So many skin and hair vitaminshave 5,000 micrograms or even
10,000, sometimes mega, megadoses of biotin sometimes are
used in central nervousconditions such as multiple
sclerosis, and most of us getenough biotin from the food we
(05:01):
eat, but there are some peoplewho are more likely than others
to have trouble getting enoughbiotin.
So people with a rare geneticdisorder called biotinidase
deficiency, people that havealcohol dependence and we have a
lot of good information onspeaking of Women's Health,
(05:22):
about substance abuse, alcoholproblems, smoking cessation of
which we have an upcomingpodcast on smoking cessation,
which is so important and alsopregnant and breastfeeding women
need just more nutrients.
In general, biotin isdefinitely necessary for a
(05:44):
healthy pregnancy.
Like all the B vitamins,including folic acid and
L-methylfolate, is a much longeracting, bioavailable, bioactive
B complex vitamin compared tojust plain folate.
Studies show that about a thirdof pregnant women in the United
(06:06):
States have some biotindeficiency, and we need more
research to understand why, butI'm sure a lot of it has to do
with the American diet, and ifyou have not heard our podcast
on food freedom and banned foodsand a lot of the toxic
substances that are gratuitouslyin our food supply, it's really
(06:27):
worth a listen or a read if yougo on speakingonwomanshealthcom
.
So, during pregnancy, women needgood sources of protein.
They need good sources ofB-complex vitamins Choline
Choline is very important forthe brain of B-complex vitamins.
(06:50):
Choline Choline is veryimportant for the brain.
And we also need omega-3s, anda lot of women are deficient in
omega-3 fatty acids or they havetoo much omega-6 from some of
the seed oils and processedfoods in our diet.
And it is important to know,though, that super high doses of
biotin, though, can bedangerous to the developing baby
, so additional supplementationis generally not recommended.
(07:12):
Now, choline like eating an egga day has shown brain benefits
to babies and also youngchildren.
So let's talk about some of thebiotin rich foods Meat, beef,
liver so three ounces of beefliver has 30 micrograms of
(07:35):
biotin, and that makes completesense because most of the biotin
is actually stored in our liver.
So any type of liver isgenerally high in biotin.
Salmon Well, three ounces ofsalmon has five micrograms of
biotin, and salmon's also a richsource of omega-3, which is
also good for the hair, and it'skind of low in purines, because
(07:58):
some of the fish foods that arereally good in omega-3s can be
high in purines and that can, insome people, increase the risk
of gout.
So it's this constant balanceand some of it depends on your
metabolism and your genetics andother medications that you're
on.
Eggs Eggs are a wonderfulnutritional source.
(08:20):
Not only do they have cholineand high protein, but, um, and
they're low in calories andthey're filling.
Uh, one egg has about 10micrograms of biotin.
So when I have my grandchildrenI really always try to make
some sort of egg dish Seeds andnuts Uh, a sunflower seed a
(08:41):
quarter cup has 2.6 micrograms.
Almonds a quarter cup have 1.5micrograms, which is kind of low
, but also the almonds have theomega-3s.
Vegetables sweet potatoes ahalf a cup has 2.5 micrograms.
Spinach a half a cup has just ahalf of a microgram.
(09:02):
Broccoli, which is acruciferous vegetable which does
have a little bit of omega-3sactually, and has DIM, which is
an anti-HPV substance that helpsfight.
It has about 0.4 micrograms.
(09:24):
An avocado a medium avocado has1.85 micrograms of biotin.
Tuna another source that'sreally rich in omega-3, but it
does have more purines Threeounces has 0.6 micrograms of
biotin.
Now, in general we don'trecommend eating tuna more than
(09:47):
once a week because some tuna iscontaminated with mercury, and
pregnant and breastfeeding womendo have to be aware of this.
Dairy If you didn't hear mypodcast on all things cheese and
healthy cheese, you shoulddefinitely listen to that one.
And I think one way to find outas opposed to scrolling through
(10:12):
our almost hundreds of podcaststhat we already have posted is
if you go onspeakingofwomenshealthcom and
put in podcast and then thetopic you're interested in, or
just the topic you're interestedin, it will bring up articles
as well as podcasts.
That's a fast way and then youget the date and it will tell
you what episode and what seasonto go to, and also there is a
(10:32):
search feature on the podcast ofseason one and season two and
now season three.
So dairy cheddar cheese oneounce has 0.4 micrograms of
biotin.
A cup of 2% milk has 0.4micrograms of biotin.
A cup of 2% milk has 0.3micrograms.
A cup of plain yogurt which isreally good for your gut,
(10:52):
microbiome, is good for calciumand protein is filling is 0.2
micrograms of biotin.
Legumes like soybeans androasted peanuts are rich in
biotin and also good sources ofprotein and fiber.
Mushrooms, which really have somany nutrients.
I really wish I liked mushrooms.
(11:13):
I do like truffle sauce,elegant foods, but in general
mushrooms are very nutritiousand 120 grams of canned button
mushrooms contain 2.6 microgramsof biotin, which is almost 20,
which is almost 10% of yourrecommended daily amount.
(11:37):
Bananas bananas which are alsorich in magnesium, which a lot
of women don't get enough of,which are also rich in magnesium
, which a lot of women don't getenough of.
One small banana has 0.2micrograms of biotin.
An oatmeal a cup of oatmeal has0.2 micrograms of biotin.
So if you sprinkle some almondsand slice up some bananas and
add a splash of milk, you'regetting a decent amount of
(12:01):
biotin.
So if you eat a balanced dietand you're healthy, it's really
rare to get biotin deficiency.
But there are symptoms if you'relow on biotin, like hair
thinning, red rash around youreyes, nose and genital areas,
(12:22):
brittle nails that crackdepression areas, brittle nails
that crack depression.
Also, low zinc levels and lowomega-3 levels and low B-complex
levels, like B12, can beassociated with depression, and
for a list of zinc-rich foods,just put in the word zinc on
speakinginwomenshealthcomPekingWomensHealthcom.
(12:50):
Other signs of low biotin canbe lethargy, hallucinations,
paresthesias or numbness of yourhands and feet.
That implies that there isnerve irritation and even
outright seizures or convulsions.
Now, while biotin is great foryour body and is necessary, it
is important to understand thebiotin warning and actually when
(13:10):
our women patients see us inthe Center for Specialized
Women's Health, we have this bigX mark with a biotin warning,
because a lot of people don'trealize that high doses of
biotin really interfere andcause crazy lab results which
can result in some disasters.
Because if you have heartfailure or heart attack and you
(13:34):
go to the emergency room andyour labs are falsely normal,
they're not going to think thatyou have a heart problem.
But if you're on high doses ofbiotin, that could falsely
affect the blood work.
Also, it affects a lot of othercommonly ordered labs that we
order, like hormone levels andestrogen and thyroid, and so
many of the hair and nailsupplements contain mega doses
(13:58):
like 5,000 to up to 10,000micrograms.
So if you are getting bloodwork done, it's important that
you should stop taking biotinsupplements three days before
the test.
And because of all the labinterferences I've seen, I'm
just not a big fan of usingsupplements.
I'm a fan of supplementingvitamin D because a lot of
(14:20):
people can't get enough in theirdiet if they don't eat like an
Alaskan and most people justdon't live near the equator
year-round to expose their skin.
I'm also a big fan of magnesiumbecause that's the second most
common deficiency.
But in general, it's best toget your nutrients from your
foods.
I'm not a super big fan oftaking omega-3 supplements
(14:43):
either.
Some patients have to.
They just won't eat any seafoodand they don't eat enough of
the non-seafood variety to getthe right ratios of omega-3.
So just remember, if you'rehaving blood tests done for
heart for BNP a heart failureblood test, anemia, folate, b12,
(15:05):
estrogen, thyroid that you canget really wacky results that
aren't accurate.
So what are the truth aboutthese biotin supplements?
They're very much promoted forimproving nail, skin and hair
Because, as I've said before, wewomen do a lot of things for
(15:26):
skin and hair and some of ourmost popular podcasts are on
skin and hair, our skincareestheticians that we had in
season one and season two aboutall these great skincare
products.
In fact, I finally did go getthat perfect peel and I was so
afraid to do it because Ithought it would just be so
uncomfortable.
It wasn't Aesthetician LoriSkarsgård was right, it was
(15:51):
great.
It, you know, helped tightenthe pores and just bring new,
fresh skin.
So I understand that women wantto have a thick mane, but
taking mega doses for mostpeople is not going to help and
there are so many other thingsthat you can do to be healthy
(16:15):
and, as I mentioned, I see moreclinical improvement in the
nails.
I do recommend collagensupplements like gelatin.
I think that helps the hair andthe nails.
Using really good skincareproducts and protecting your
hair from harsh chemicals, fromthe harsh sunlight.
I've started to use a spray onkind of sunscreen for the hair
(16:40):
and I'm trying to be moreconsistent with wearing a full
cap as opposed to just a golfvisor when I'm outside golfing.
So, like we said, therecommended dose is between 30
to 35 micrograms and it's bestto get it from natural sources.
If you're taking a multiplevitamin, look to see how much
(17:03):
biotin is in it.
If it's much over 300micrograms.
It's really going to interferewith your blood work and I think
it's just a good idea to alwaysbring in your supplements not
pictures, but the actual bottlesto look at the lot number and
the expiration and to seeexactly what's in everything.
(17:25):
You have been listening to theSpeaking Women's Health Podcast
and I am your host, dr HollyThacker, in the Sunflower House
in season three.
I'm talking all things biotinas well as talking about super
nutrient dense foods, which iskind of hopefully getting the
most bang for your buck in termsof the most nutrients and not
(17:48):
much calories.
So that's another thing that wewomen care so much about is our
weight.
So, in terms of diabetesmanagement, some studies show
that biotin may help manage someof the symptoms of diabetes by
lowering blood sugar andcholesterol and some blood fats.
(18:09):
It doesn't really have too mucheffects on insulin, uh, and it
also may be used in neurologicconditions like multiple
sclerosis.
I remember um moving to tostart my residency several years
ago and I had so many patientsmany young women and some men
(18:32):
and some older patients withmultiple sclerosis, which can be
a pretty devastating diseasebecause it affects various parts
of the nervous system, both thebrain and the peripheral
nervous system and spinal cordin various spaces at various
times, and now we do have a lotmore potent treatments to affect
(18:58):
the immune system.
Boosting vitamin D issignificant, and I remember
wondering why, when you gofarther north, do you have more
multiple sclerosis?
Well, you also have less sunand much lower vitamin D levels,
and so vitamin D and nutrientsplay such an important role in
so many disease conditions.
(19:22):
Now I want to shift and talk alittle bit about some nutrient
dense foods.
There's a great assessment oflike which foods kind of pack
the most nutrients per punch andat the 100% rating in terms of
comparing all of them, in termsof giving a score like the top,
(19:44):
top, top number is watercress.
They're so low in calories andthey're so stocked full of
nutrients.
I add watercress to some of mychicken dishes, some of my
vegetable dishes.
They give a nice crunch.
They're not very much calories.
In fact, last Thanksgiving,when I was making my green bean
(20:07):
casserole, my husband Tom saidwell, it doesn't call for
watercress in the traditionalgreen bean Thanksgiving
casserole.
And I'm like I know your wife,who's a physician, who's not
necessarily that great a cook,certainly does know a lot about
nutrition though, and that's whyI add the watercress and I put
(20:28):
in a second jar of them for agood measure.
Chinese cabbage that is a funthing to experiment with with
various dishes.
Obviously it's in a lot ofethnic foods.
Sometimes I think it'sunderused and it clocks in at
almost 92.
Chard is at 89.
(20:51):
Beet greens at 87.
And just a little word aboutbeets and red beets.
They really do promote nitricoxide, which is very important
for artery walls.
It's one reason why estrogenhas such good benefits in
recently menopausal women interms of cardiovascular
prevention is, besides improvinglipids in many women, it also
(21:15):
improves nitric oxide.
It's a mild calcium channelblocker, helps keep things
elastic, and one of the foodsthat's really rich in nitric
oxide is red beets.
Now, if you have a lot of redbeets it will make you think
that you're having rectalbleeding because your stool can
be quite red.
So you have to kind of beprepared for that, and some
(21:37):
people, like my husband, theyjust don't like the taste of
beets and you can pop a um likered beet powder.
Some people add it to smoothiesSpinach good old spinach Um and
that has some calcium in it.
There are some omega threes inspinach, lots of B complex
(21:58):
vitamins.
It clocks in at 86.
Chicory clocks in at 73.
Leaf lettuce you know somepeople say, oh, it's just
worthless, there's hardly anycalories.
You're just, you know,exercising your jaw by chewing
and that's not true.
Actually it has a nutrientdensity score of 70.
(22:19):
Parsley A lot of people just useparsley for a garnish, but it
has a lot of nutrients.
It freshens the breath.
Some people say there's a mildaphrodisiac component to it.
I have a nice column up onherbs and spices where I go into
some of the lore and some ofthe science with these
(22:43):
accoutrements.
One of my favorite recipes, onSpeaking of Women's Health, is
the Italian wedding soup.
You use sirloin beef andthere's some egg and there's
some parmesan cheese and youalso chop up small amounts of
fresh parsley to put in thelittle mini meatballs and use an
(23:05):
orzo type pasta and have lotsof spinach.
And on a winter day, oh, thatis such a soothing soup.
So it's not just for weddingsand maybe we'll put that link in
the show notes.
Romaine lettuce clocks in at 63.
(23:27):
I like to chop up romainelettuce and stir fry it in a
little bit of olive oil andsprinkle just a little bit of
garlic and salt and pepper andnot have to use any type of
dressing other than just.
You know I use the extra virginolive oil in the skillet and
that that makes for a nice, warm, wilted salad.
(23:48):
Collard greens A lot of peoplelike to have collard greens on
New Year's day.
There's a lot of nutrients.
Cloxin at 62.
Turnip greens also at 62 andmustard green at 61.
Endive is an interestingtasting vegetable used in salads
(24:13):
that clocks in at 60.
Chive, which is great forseasoning and also decoration,
clocks in at 54.
Kale you know there's alwaysthis oh, is kale the new spinach
?
Well, spinach does outrank kaleon lots of levels of nutrients
(24:33):
and some people do have troubledigesting kale.
So kale clocks in at 49.
When I use kale I like to breakit into tiny little pieces and
massage olive oil to soften itand then put some seasoning and
maybe add chickpeas, maybe alittle bit of fruit, sometimes
(24:55):
some quinoa which is pretty richin protein.
Dandelion greens a lot of timesthat's used at fancy
restaurants clocks in at 46.
Red pepper, which can be usedin so many dishes and used just
to eat plain or with dips, is 41.
Arugula 37.
(25:17):
Broccoli 34.
Pumpkin you know pumpkin is notjust for Thanksgiving.
It is so rich in vitamin A,which is good for the skin.
Now, vitamin A is definitely avitamin.
That's a true vitamin, asopposed to vitamin D.
And just twice the daily amountcan be toxic to a developing
(25:41):
fetus and can deposit in theliver.
So I have seen people overdoseon vitamin E, these people who
decide to eat a bag of carrots aday as an example, but pumpkin
clocks in at 33.
Brussels sprouts my husbandcalls them the green gonads.
Brussel sprouts Uh, my husbandcalls them the green gonads.
Oh, I love brussel sprouts.
Um, and there's so manydifferent ways to roast them, to
(26:07):
grill them.
I like to just slice them inhalf and, uh, sprinkle Parmesan
cheese on the bottom and justput them face down and and bake
them.
Uh, and that's one of my fun,easy ways of doing that.
And Brussels sprouts do haveomega-3 in them and clock in at
32.
And also are really good athaving that substance, dim,
(26:27):
which we really encourage.
Foods like broccoli, brusselssprouts, sauerkraut, cauliflower
, cabbage particularly foranybody who has HPV, human
papillomavirus, scallion at 27,great to season things.
Anything in the onion family Ilove.
Kohlrabi clocks in at 25.
(26:50):
Cauliflower clocks in at 25.
And actually, raw cauliflowercontains nicotine.
Just as a little interestingthought, Cabbage clocks in at 24
.
I love cabbage, cabbage noodles, cold slaw.
(27:12):
What's cold slaw withoutcabbage?
Carrots clock in at 22.
Tomato 20.
They have a lot of lycopene.
It's good for the eyes, forprostate health.
Lemon, which has citrus in it.
It's good for reducing kidneystones.
I always tell my patients witha history of kidney stones to
(27:33):
always add some citrus or lemonto their water.
If you didn't listen to ourpodcast on kidney stones, that's
a good one to go back to listento.
Good old iceberg lettuce is notworthless by any means, and it's
not just something to have youchew on.
It actually clocks in at 18 onthe nutrient density score.
(27:54):
Strawberries 17.
Radish 16.
All varieties of winter squash13.
Orange, 12.
Lime 12.
Grapefruit both the pink andthe red 11.
(28:16):
Rutabaga and turnips clock inat 11.
Blackberries and blackberriesand blueberries and raspberries
have all sorts of polyphenolsand antioxidants, and
blackberries clock in at 11.
Leekseks at 10.
(28:36):
Sweet potato at 10.
And then white grapefruit at 10.
Grapefruit's very interesting.
It can affect metabolism ofmedicines and if you did not
read our column on foods asmedicine and foods that interact
with medicine, that's veryimportant.
A lot of times people get verystrict instructions on, um, what
(29:00):
foods not to eat before surgeryfor anesthesia.
And, uh, if you go on some wildgrapefruit diet where you're
eating you know grapefruitsmultiple times a day I know that
was a craze for a while.
That can really interact withvarious medications, including
(29:23):
blood pressure medicines andother critical medications.
So you might ask well, how dowe get this rating of 100 to 10?
It didn't look at every singlenutrient.
I guess I should have startedwith that.
It's based on a 2000 caloriediet, which for a lot of midlife
women is more calories than youactually need, but maybe for a
(29:45):
young adult or a growing personor a pregnant or breastfeeding
woman.
And it looked at potassium,fiber, protein, calcium we have
so much information on ourwebsite on calcium Iron.
A lot of women are low on iron.
The very first podcast I did inseason one was on iron.
(30:08):
Thiamine, which is a B1 complex.
Riboflavin is B2.
We sometimes use high doses ofriboflavin to help prevent
migraine headaches.
That's a common tip.
I've had a lot of women getcontrol of their migraines,
which is boosting theirmagnesium and their riboflavin.
(30:30):
And if you didn't hear mypodcast on migraine headache,
that's a very important onebecause half of us have migraine
headaches headache, that's avery important one because half
of us have migraine headaches.
Niacin, folate althoughL-methylfolate is the most
active one that helps supportmethionine in the body processes
and people that have bothgenetic mutations for the MTHFR
(30:53):
mutation don't convert regularfolate to L-methylfolate and we
have columns on MTHFR mutationand mood and attention spans and
depression.
And certainly a lot of foodsare used or nutritional
supplements to help boost themood.
(31:16):
Nutritional supplements to helpboost the mood.
Also in the 17 nutrients forranking these foods was vitamin
A, b6, which is pyridoxine.
B12, which is the biggestlargest vitamin, cyanocobalamin.
I usually check B12 levelsevery five years, particularly
in people over age 65 or peoplethat are on glucovage metformin,
(31:36):
which we've talked about inother podcasts in terms of for
sugar control and anti-aging.
People on stomach acid blockerslike omeprazole.
Protonics can be low in B12 andthat can really affect your
central nervous system andperipheral nervous system.
Vitamin D, vitamin E and vitaminK there's K1 and there's K2.
(31:59):
And our website has a greatlisting of what the differences
are.
K1 has to do with bloodclotting.
K2, also known as M7, is veryimportant for bone health and
driving calcium into the bonesand not the arteries.
Very few foods have K2.
(32:33):
Japanese natto, which ourfellow who's going to be on the
podcast, dr Nayoung Sung, eats alot of natto.
She brought in some greatfermented natto with different
toppings for us to try, andthese rankings of the 17
nutrients were based on 100grams of food, expressed as 100
kilocrams of 100 kilocalories,and the scores were capped at
100, meaning that, on average,100% of the daily amount of a
qualifying nutrient per 100calories.
(32:56):
Now, some of these foods don'thave very many calories, so you
may not eat 100 calories of thatfood.
So, in summary, it's best to getyour essential nutrients and
minerals and vitamins from yourdiet, and that includes biotin,
which is that popular hairmainly nail B7 or vitamin H, and
(33:25):
most of the research showsthere's really not a benefit.
I think biotin is thrown intoother supplements.
Zinc and iron help the hair,protein helps the hair.
Some of the expensive hairvitamins that I talked about in
the June of 2024 hair losspodcast, where I really went
into all these differentvitamins, some of them have saw
(33:47):
palmetto, which is an herb thatreduces testosterone, and
obviously if you're a pregnantwoman or if you're a woman who's
low in testosterone, you don'twant to necessarily be taking
this saw palmetto.
Nutritional deficiencies andstress and hormone imbalance are
certainly common causes of hairloss.
There are other skin disordersthat can cause different types
(34:09):
of hair loss that really need tobe handled by a dermatologist
or someone who's expert in that.
The optimal iron ferritin levelto maintain hair is at least 50
to 70.
Low zinc levels I find low zinclevels regularly, just like I
find very low vitamin D levels.
Under 60 is just too low.
(34:31):
Your body's going to try toconserve itself if you don't
have enough nutrients, so extrathings like skin and nails are
not as critical to you stayingalive.
So think of it that way.
Vitamin D levels for hairgrowth really should be up to 75
.
And I have a lot of women whoget a vitamin D level of 80 or
(34:51):
83 and their nurse practitioneror their physician or somebody
in the health field says oh,that's too high.
Well, you can get too high invitamin A, but it's very hard to
get too high in vitamin D, andso lifeguards get levels of up
to 150 in the summer.
So a level of 80 or 90 is finewith me.
Lack of good quality protein inthe diet can impair hair growth.
(35:14):
So you need really good protein, and ingesting high quality
protein helps with satiety,helps with muscle repair and
development, and too many of usare crowding out protein with
carbohydrates.
Now one thing I would like tosay about vitamin D, though.
(35:36):
There are some patients thathave sarcoidosis, which is
common the farther south you go,just like MS is more common the
farther northern latitude yougo, to the poles, the North Pole
, some granulomas and sarcoma orsarcoidosis rather, sarcoidosis
can make too much vitamin D.
(35:56):
Now, low vitamin E levels andtrace mineral deficiencies can
also contribute to hair loss,and if you use olive oil and get
lots of nuts and seeds, mostpeople can get enough vitamin E
in their diet.
Now sometimes I do recommendseparate vitamin E for people
(36:16):
who've had a history of bloodclots, for women with hot
flashes.
Now there are medicines that areassociated with hair loss, like
chemotherapy, and certainlytaking oral minoxidil or Rogaine
or Topical can be associatedwith hair growth or topical can
be associated with hair growth.
(36:37):
Votess is the hair vitamin thatdoes not contain biotin but
does contain trace minerals 0.8milligrams of iron, 10
milligrams of zinc, which ispretty close to the RDA
B-complex vitamins, and it alsohas an herb called ashwagandha
(36:59):
which is touted at reducingadrenal stress, and it does have
a probiotic hormone in it atdoses of two capsules twice a
day neutrophil.
There's different formulationsfor pre-menopausal women,
post-menopausal women and it hasa very hefty dose of biotin at
2500 micrograms which, like I,definitely interferes with labs,
other over-the-counter vitaminoptions or topical options
(37:23):
topical minoxidil, 5% Rogaine Iapply it with a Q-tip to my
lateral eyebrows.
Topical castor oil and rosemaryoil have been used for eyelash,
eyebrow and top of the headgrowth.
Like my nurse is always tellingme to put rosemary on my scalp,
I have I don't know that it'smade a difference.
(37:45):
Revitalash you can put on theliners of your eyelashes.
I've used it.
I do think it makes theeyelashes longer.
Contains topical peptides,topical biotin which I think is
fine, and conditioners.
But really, if you want tolearn a lot more about hair loss
treatments, products andoptions, please listen to my
podcast or read my column on thelatest on treatments for hair
(38:07):
loss, hair thinning and alopecia.
It has styling tips and I'mreally impressed with so many of
the detachable hair accessories.
In fact, I've worn them acouple of times on the podcast
or when I go to princess eventswith my granddaughters, because
(38:28):
they like such long, long hairthat I can't grow A lot of the
wigs for our patients undergoingchemotherapy and losing hair
with human hair or substancesthat are much more comfortable
to put on the scalp and abaseball cap.
Some women, you know, just willput on a baseball cap when
they're undergoing chemotherapy.
(38:48):
I saw a lovely woman in theoffice today who was just
wrapping up her chemotherapy andshe looked really quite stylish
and chic in her baseball cap.
And my cousin Marnie, who hadHodgkin's disease.
She's dearly departed but shefought that cancer, had another
cancer and lived several decadesafter her cancers.
(39:11):
I remember when she underwentchemotherapy and was losing her
long, beautiful blonde hair,which she did grow back.
When she underwent chemotherapyand was losing her long,
beautiful blonde hair, which shedid grow back, she just put on
a baseball cap.
So, um, whatever it is thatmakes you uh, feel your best
self and and so many women areso invested in hair, almost too
(39:31):
much, because then it sets upthis very stressful cycle of
being so obsessed with the hairand getting so anxious, causing
more adrenal stress hormones,causing more hair shedding.
So that is a good summary onall things biotin and
nutrient-dense foods and thankyou all for joining us in the
(39:57):
Sunflower House and if youenjoyed this episode, please
subscribe for free.
Hit follow.
You can subscribe on ApplePodcasts, spotify, tune in
wherever you listen and if youenjoyed this episode, give us a
five-star rating or share it.
And thanks again, and I lookforward to seeing you in the
(40:20):
Sunflower House again.
Remember, be strong, be healthyand be in charge.
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