Each biotin and collagen dietary supplements have grown in recognition lately: likelihood is that you simply’ve seen them as main or secondary elements in varied dietary supplements, usually claiming to advertise wholesome growing older and bone well being together with supporting wholesome hair, pores and skin, and nails. However whereas biotin and collagen are sometimes utilized in related dietary supplements, biotin and collagen usually are not the identical. So, in terms of biotin vs. collagen, what’s the distinction? Is one higher than the opposite? We’ll cowl the similarities and variations between biotin and collagen beneath.
Biotin vs. Collagen: What to Know
Biotin and collagen are sometimes present in dietary supplements that declare to assist wholesome hair, pores and skin, and nail development. However whereas each biotin and collagen have similarities, they’re compositionally and functionally totally different.
Biotin, often known as vitamin B7, is a necessary vitamin that performs an important function within the physique’s metabolism, serving to enzymes break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fat and convert them to vitality. Biotin is commonly present in dietary supplements claiming to assist wholesome hair, pores and skin, and nails. For people with certain conditions (together with brittle nail syndrome and alopecia), biotin dietary supplements will help strengthen hair shafts, cut back hair loss, and forestall nail breakage.
Collagen, alternatively, is a protein that’s naturally discovered within the physique. It’s the most important part of connective tissues, corresponding to bones, ligaments, tendons, pores and skin, and blood vessels, offering elasticity and energy. Collagen is accountable for making greater than 30% of your physique’s protein content material, and as collagen manufacturing slows with age, it turns into harder for the physique to provide extra.
Biotin vs. Collagen: Dietary and Complement Sources
Biotin deficiencies are uncommon, however they’ll happen. Threat components for biotin deficiency embrace sure gastrointestinal illnesses (like Crohn’s illness and inflammatory bowel illness), taking sure medicines (together with antiepileptics, isotretinoin, and extended antibiotic use), alcoholism, being pregnant, sure genetic circumstances, and excessive ranges of uncooked egg consumption. People with these circumstances could require biotin supplementation.
Nonetheless, most individuals can obtain satisfactory biotin consumption by their food plan. Biotin could be present in a variety of dietary sources, together with:
- Organ meats (like beef liver and pork)
- Fish (like salmon)
- Nuts and legumes (together with black-eyed peas, soybeans, almonds, peanuts, and pecans)
- Fruits like bananas and avocados
- Candy potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Cooked eggs
- Complete grains
Getting satisfactory collagen, alternatively, will not be a one-step course of. That’s as a result of collagen includes 4 amino acids – proline, glycine, lysine, and hydroxyproline – forming the triple helix that makes collagen collectively. So in contrast to with biotin consumption, which merely requires meals or dietary supplements containing biotin, getting sufficient collagen in your food plan is a multi-step course of. To have satisfactory ranges of those amino acids essential to make collagen, you want to be getting sufficient vitamin C, zinc, copper, and manganese. Dietary sources wealthy in proline, glycine, lysine, and hydroxyproline embrace:
- Bone broth
- Unflavored gelatin
- Dairy merchandise (particularly parmesan)
- Legumes
- Spirulina
- Non-genetically modified soy merchandise, together with tofu
- Animal sources, together with crimson meat, poultry, pork, fish, and eggs
Biotin vs. Collagen for Hair Development
Some research indicates that biotin supplementation has a clinically vital useful influence for people with circumstances like alopecia or uncombable hair syndrome. Whereas it’s unclear at this level if collagen dietary supplements include sufficient collagen to assist wholesome hair, nails, and pores and skin, collagen dietary supplements are thought of protected for common use, and making certain satisfactory consumption of the amino acids that make collagen will assist assist pores and skin, hair, and nail well being and development all through the growing older course of.
