Biotin (Vitamin B7)

Biotin, vitamin B7, appears in two of the six gummies in the daily GUUDIES pouch. There is 100µg in Marine Collagen and a further 30µg in Daily Greens+.

What biotin is

Biotin is one of the eight B vitamins, water soluble like the rest of them. It is also known as vitamin B7, and in older literature as vitamin H, from the German Haar und Haut, hair and skin, which tells you something about how it has been marketed for a long time.

Deficiency is rare

Worth saying plainly, because the supplement category rarely does. Biotin deficiency is uncommon in people eating a normal varied diet. It is found in eggs, nuts, seeds, salmon, sweet potato and liver, and gut bacteria produce some as well.

The unusual exception is raw egg white, which contains avidin, a protein that binds biotin and blocks its absorption. Eating raw eggs in quantity over a long period is one of the few reliable ways to become deficient. Cooking destroys the avidin.

Biotin can interfere with blood tests

This one matters and is not widely known. High dose biotin can distort the results of certain laboratory tests, including some thyroid and cardiac tests, because those assays use biotin in their chemistry. It does not change anything in your body, it changes what the machine reports.

If you are having blood tests, tell whoever is taking them that you take a supplement containing biotin. They may ask you to stop for a short period beforehand.

Why it appears twice

Biotin is declared separately in each gummy rather than combined into a single figure, so the label shows exactly where it comes from. Added together that is 130µg across the daily pouch.

Common questions

How much biotin is in GUUDIES?

100µg in the Marine Collagen gummy and 30µg in Daily Greens+, so 130µg across the daily pouch.

What is biotin?

Vitamin B7, one of the eight water soluble B vitamins. Also known historically as vitamin H.

Is biotin deficiency common?

No. It is uncommon in people eating a normal varied diet, since biotin is found in eggs, nuts, seeds, fish and sweet potato, and gut bacteria produce some too.

Does biotin affect blood tests?

It can. High dose biotin may distort some laboratory results, including certain thyroid and cardiac assays. Tell whoever takes your blood that you take a supplement containing it.

Is the biotin vegan?

The biotin itself is. The Marine Collagen gummy that carries most of it is not, since it contains collagen from fish. The Daily Greens+ gummy is vegan.

Related reading

• Best vitamins for women in the UK
• What actually makes a high quality gummy supplement