Vitamin Deficiency caused by B5

What is Vitamin B-Complex?

(Description from Judith Turner's "Vitamin B complex" article:)

Vitamin B complex is a set of 12 related water-soluble substances. Eight are considered vitamins, by virtue of needing to be included in the diet, and four are not, as the body can synthesize them. Since they are water-soluble, most are not stored to any great extent and must be replenished on a daily basis. The eight vitamins have both names and corresponding numbers. They are B 1 (thiamin), B 2 ( riboflavin ), B 3 ( niacin ), B 5 ( pantothenic acid ), B 6 ( pyridoxine ), B 7 ( biotin ), B 9 ( folic acid ), and B 12 (cobalamin). Biotin in particular is not always included in B complex supplements. The numbers that appear to have been skipped were found to be duplicate substances or non-vitamins. The four unnumbered components of B complex that can be synthesized by the body are choline, inositol, PABA, and lipoic acid. As a group, the B vitamins have a broad range of functions. These include maintenance of myelin, which is the covering of nerve cells. A breakdown of myelin can cause a large and devastating variety of neurologic symptoms. B vitamins are also key to producing energy from the nutrients that are consumed. Three members of this group--folic acid, pyridoxine, and cobalamin--work together to keep homocysteine levels low. This is quite important, since high homocysteine levels are associated with heart disease . Some B vitamins prevent certain birth defects (like neural tube defects), maintain healthy red blood cells, support immune function, regulate cell growth, aid in production of hormones, and may have a role in preventing some types of cancer . They also function in maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and nails.

More about Vitamin B-Complex

What is Biotin (vitamin H/B7)?

Biotin, as referred to as Vitamin H or Vitamin B7 (sometimes found as "B8" on the Internet, maybe incorrect) is part of the Vitamin B complex group.

Biotin is used in cell growth, the production of fatty acids, metabolism of fats, and proteins. It plays a role in the Kreb cycle, which is the process in which energy is released from food. Biotin is also indicated for healthy hair and skin, healthy sweat glands, nerve tissue, and bone marrow, and assisting with muscle pain. Biotin not only assists in various metabolic chemical conversions, but also helps with the transfer of carbon dioxide. Biotin is also helpful in maintaining a steady blood sugar level.

Biotin deficiency symtoms

Because it is synthesized in the gut, deficiency symptoms of biotin are rare.

Mild deficiency symptoms:

Extreme deficiency

Dose

The optimal intake values for biotin are not known. Those receiving hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or who have genetic abnormalities of biotin-dependent enzymes, such as biotinidase deficiency , have increased requirements for biotin. There are probably other such situations. The U.S. RDA for biotin, the value used for nutritional supplement and food labeling purposes, is 300 micrograms/day.

Reports of biotin toxicity have not surfaced in the research literature, despite the use of biotin over extended periods of time in doses as high as 60 milligrams per day. For this reason, in its 1998 recommendations for intake of B-complex vitamins, the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences chose not to set a tolerable upper limit (UL) for intake of biotin.

I found that some vitamin supplements have an incorrect dose of biotin written on their ingredients description package. These incorrect values are probably because some made a mistake with milligrams and micrograms. Because of this, the values written on the packages can be 1000 times higher than normal. So if you see a multivitamin with a biotin dose higher than 1mg, it's likely that that value is incorrect.

More about biotin

Can a high dose of B5 cause vitamin deficiency?

AcneMiracle:

We strongly recommend that a basic daily B-Complex vitamin be taken alongside high dosage B5 therapy to avoid possible deficiencies. Take the recommended dosage stated on the B-Complex vitamin bottle.

B5 Supplements:

How important are the added ingredients in your Evolution-X B5 formula?

The added ingredients are very important. The two most important ones are niacin and biotin. The niacin increases bloodflow to the epidermis and helps cleanse the skin of toxins. Skin flushing is a common result of this. This increased bloodflow also makes it easier for fatty acids to be re-circulated into the bloodstream, instead of being released on the skins surface.

Biotin helps in the absorption of the B5. It is also a key component in helping the body break down fatty acids as well as proteins.

Riboflavin and thiamin assist the body in digesting food and allow for higher B5 absorption rates. Manganese is important for carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism. There are various other components to our formula, and they're all very important.

In addition, the molecular structure of B vitamins are very similar. If a person takes large quantities of vitamin B5 by itself, it can create a deficiency in the other B vitamins. Normally, it is important to take a B vitamin complex along with the high quantities of B5. Our B5 Supplements have this built into the formula however, so there is no need to take an additional vitamin B complex.

Pantothenic Acid in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris "A Medical Hypothesis" by Lit-Hung Leung, M.D.:

There are some other essential dietary factors that are also of importance in the same process. Together they form a system that will make the whole metabolic process as efficient as possible. Preliminary studies by the author suggest that, together with pantothenic acid, biotin as well as nicotinamide help to further improve the therapeutic results. By themselves alone, they are far less effective in helping acne patients than with pantothenic acid, and this serves to support the suggestion that pantothenic acid plays a central role in lipid metabolism.

Vitamin B complex; Judith Turner

Since the B vitamins often work in harmony, a deficiency in one type may have broad implications.

B vitamins are generally best taken in balanced complement, unless there is a specific deficiency or need of an individual vitamin. An excess of one component may lead to depletion of the others.

B-Complex Vitamins: Why You Must Have Them; Burt Berkson

While it is safe for many people to take three times or more of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for B-vitamins, each of us has unique requirements based on our own individual physiology and lifestyle. Consequently, it is important to check with a knowledgeable health professional before beginning a vitamin regimen in order to determine your proper dosage. Because deficiencies usually include more than one B-vitamin, and because the B-vitamins work best as a team, we should take a B-complex supplement along with any single B-vitamin in order to achieve their synergistic effects.

B5 and Biotin

Some users of a high dose of B5 tell that they have experienced hair shedding/thinning. It's unclear if they all used a B-complex supplement, but hair shedding/thinning can be caused by biotin deficiency which can be caused by a high dose of B5.

Acne-Rid:

Biotin is thought to be depleted by high doses of Vitamin B5. We added this to Acne- Rid to prevent any loss of essential hair and skin nutrients.

Biotin transport through the blood-brain barrier.; Spector R, Mock D.

Probenecid, pantothenic acid , and nonanoic acid but not biocytin or biotin methylester (all 250 microM) inhibited biotin transfer through the blood-brain barrier.

Biotin uptake by human colonic epithelial NCM460 cells: a carrier-mediated process shared with pantothenic acid.; Said HM, Ortiz A, McCloud E, Dyer D, Moyer MP, Rubin S.

Previous studies showed that the normal microflora of the large intestine synthesizes biotin and that the colon is capable of absorbing intraluminally introduced free biotin. Nothing, however, is known about the mechanism of biotin absorption in the large intestine and its regulation. To address these issues, we used the human-derived, nontransformed colonic epithelial cell line NCM460. The initial rate of biotin uptake was found to be ... 5) competitively inhibited by the vitamin pantothenic acid (inhibition constant of 14.4 microM).

Life-threatening eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion related to vitamins B5 and H.; Debourdeau PM, Djezzar S, Estival JL, Zammit CM, Richard RC, Castot AC.

A 76-year-old white woman was admitted to the hospital because of chest pain and dyspnea related to pleurisy and a pericardial tamponade. This patient had no history of allergy and had been taking vitamins B 5 and H for two months. Blood tests performed showed an inflammatory syndrome and a high eosinophil concentration (1200–1500 cells/mm 3 ). Pleurocentesis and pericardiotomy yielded a sterile exudative fluid with an eosinophilic infiltrate. There were no nuclear antibodies and no rheumatic factor; screenings for viruses, parasites, bacteria, and malignant tumor were negative. A myelogram, biopsy of the iliac crest bone, and concentration of immunoglobulin E were also normal. After withdrawal of the vitamins, the patient recovered and the eosino philia disappeared.

This case suggests that vitamins B 5 and H may cause symptomatic, life-threatening, eosinophilic pleuropericarditis. Physicians prescribing these commonly used vitamins should be aware of this potential adverse reaction.

(300 mg of pantothenic acid per day and 10 mg of biotin per day?)

Transport of biotin in human keratinocytes.; Grafe F, Wohlrab W, Neubert RH, Brandsch M.

[3H] Biotin uptake (6 nM) was strongly inhibited by lipoic acid (oxidized form, Ki=4.6 microM; reduced form, Ki=11.4 microM), pantothenic acid (Ki=1.2 microM), and desthiobiotin (Ki=15.2 microM), but not by biocytin or biotin methyl ester. Measured at [3H] biotin concentrations of 0.1-10 nM we obtained kinetic evidence for the presence of a second transport component that is saturable at very low biotin concentrations (Kt=2.6+/-0.1 nM). Unlabeled lipoic acid and pantothenic acid (20 nM) did not inhibit the [3H] biotin uptake (1 nM). We conclude that human keratinocytes express the Na+-dependent multivitamin transporter with preference for pantothenate and a very high affinity transport component with specificity for biotin.

Vitamins and brain development.; Ramakrishna T.

biotin deficiency may be aggravated by pantothenic acid deficiency.

What to take with a high dose of B5?

Based on the findings above, it is probably recommended to take a vitamin B-Complex (like B-50 complex or B-100 complex) when using a high dose of B5. (According to some sites, this should not be taken at the same time as B5, so that the body is able to take more of the B-Complex. Probably minimal 15 minutes before or after.)

Some B5 for acne products have extra biotin. (See Ingredients Comparison.) B5Supplements Evolution-X and Coenzyme-A Tech. Inc.'s Clear Skin Image have about 10mg biotin per 10gr B5; Acne-Rid System has 2mg biotin per 10gr B5; and a normal vitamin B-complex supplement has about 0.05 to 0.1mg biotin.

I think that since I started with B5, my hair has thinned a lot. This can be caused by genetic hairloss (MPB) because my father is bald, but I think it started soon (within a month) after I started with 10gr B5, but I'm not sure about this date. At that time, I only used a multivitamin (while I also should have used a B-complex), which contained about 200mcg biotin, 1,5mg B6 and some other vitamin's and minerals.

The question is, how much biotin does the average human need to avoid biotin deficiency, when using a high dose of B5........

Forum Threads about biotin deficiency

Some people experience hairloss shedding/thinning when using a high dose of B5. It's unclear if they all used a B-complex supplement, but hair shedding/thinning can be caused by biotin deficiency which can be caused by a high dose of B5. Some people on Accutane/Roaccutane also experience hairloss.