What does it do?
More commonly known as biotin, B7 is another of the B-vitamins (along with B5 and B6) that doesn’t often get talked about.
B7 is important for helping to metabolise and use carbohydrates and fats, but it also plays a part in cell growth, producing fatty acids, and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, nerve and bone marrow.
What’s the story?
One of the last vitamins to join the party, biotin was only isolated in 1939 and its structure determined in 1943. It was originally called vitamin H before being recategorised part of the B complex group of vitamins, after the German words ‘Haar’ and ‘Haut’, meaning hair and skin.
How much do I need?
There’s no RNI for biotin, in part because it’s very hard to be deficient in biotin as it’s fairly ubiquitous, but also because no one’s yet managed to crack an efficient technique for measuring biotin in the body.
Between 10 and 20 μg per day is generally accepted as a safe amount to consume.
Where can I find it?
Foods rich in B7 include egg yolk, legumes, wholegrains, yeast, milk, sardines and nuts - including peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds and walnuts.
Any ideas for using those ingredients?
Sardine and apple/Groundnut chicken curry/shakshuka/marmite glazed nuts/chickpea and aubergine curry/jewelled brown rice/lentil, mushroom and hazelnut/date and tahini chocolate brownies/walnut, raisin and banana bread
References
Martyn, K. (2011) Nutrition: made incredibly easy. London, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, chp. 6.
Price, C. (2016) The Vitamin Complex. London, Oneworld Publications, p. 258.