Biotin Emerges as a “Star Nutrient”

There is a scientist often called the “Father of Vitamin B.” He is Dr. Paul Gyorgy (1893–1976), an American biochemist of Hungarian origin. After teaching at Heidelberg University in Germany and the University of Cambridge in the UK, he continued his lifelong research on vitamin B at universities in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Cleveland in the United States.

Dr. Gyorgy discovered three members of the vitamin B complex—vitamins B2, B6, and B7. Among them, vitamin B7, known as biotin, has recently gained attention as a “star nutrient.” Research has revealed that biotin is not only essential for hair and skin health, but also plays an important role in fatigue recovery, diabetes prevention and management, and cardiovascular health.

In the late 1920s, biochemists began studying the causes of hair loss and skin damage. In 1939, Dr. Gyorgy achieved a breakthrough by identifying a new nutrient in animal liver. He named it vitamin H, derived from the German words Haar und Haut, meaning “hair and skin.” His discovery showed that a deficiency of vitamin H led to hair loss, as well as cracked skin and brittle nails. Today, vitamin H is known as vitamin B7, or biotin.

Biotin: The Hair Vitamin

Hair is essentially made of protein. About 80–90% of hair consists of a protein called keratin. When the body lacks sufficient keratin, hair becomes thin, weak, and prone to falling out. For keratin to be produced in the body, a specific coenzyme is required—biotin. Without biotin, keratin cannot be synthesized.

Hair grows from hair follicles, which are primarily composed of collagen, another type of protein. If the body lacks enough collagen, the follicles weaken, leading to hair loss and poor regrowth. To keep hair follicles strong, adequate collagen production is essential—and biotin is a key nutrient in collagen synthesis. In short, the proteins that make up both hair and hair follicles can only be properly formed when biotin levels are sufficient.

Most Koreans Are Deficient in Biotin

The role of biotin in preventing hair loss is well established. In 1996, a Swiss research team found that participants who consistently took biotin for six months experienced more than a 25% improvement in hair strength. Researchers at Harvard University have also stated that “biotin deficiency leads to hair loss” and that “biotin is an essential nutrient for hair strength, structure, and growth.”

In recent years, the number of people suffering from hair loss has increased rapidly. From 2015 to 2019 alone, cases rose by 11.3%. While hair loss in Koreans traditionally begins in their 40s, an increasing number of people in their 20s and 30s are now affected.

The reason may be surprising: 89.5% of Koreans are deficient in biotin, according to a 2015 survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Although biotin is naturally synthesized in the body by gut bacteria, modern lifestyles often disrupt this process. Alcohol consumption, smoking, chronic stress, and lack of sleep upset the balance of gut bacteria (beneficial vs. harmful bacteria), leading to reduced biotin production. As a result, biotin supplements are now gaining popularity as an effective way to replenish this essential nutrient.

Source: 조선일보 (https://www.chosun.com/)