Foods high in Vitamin B7 (biotin)
Water-soluble B-vitamin for fatty acid synthesis and energy metabolism. Widespread in foods, deficiency is rare.
About Vitamin B7 (biotin)
Biotin, vitamin B7, helps the enzymes that break down fat, carbohydrate and protein, and is involved in making glucose and fatty acids.
Liver, egg yolk, nuts, seeds and pulses are good sources, and bacteria in the gut make some too. The UK label reference intake is 50 µg a day.
Deficiency is rare. Raw egg white contains avidin, a protein that binds biotin, so eating a lot of raw egg white over a long period can cause it; cooking the egg stops avidin working. High-dose biotin supplements can distort some blood test results, including thyroid tests, so tell your doctor if you take them.
Foods high in vitamin b7 (biotin), liver, liver, yeast, and more
Ranked by how much you get per calorie, so foods are not rewarded for simply being dry or concentrated. Values from USDA FoodData Central, McCance & Widdowson's CoFID, ANSES Ciqual, and other public nutrition databases. Amounts in UG.
Per calorie is the default here because it answers what to eat: ranked purely by amount, a list of the richest foods fills up with dried and concentrated things nobody eats a plateful of. Switch to per 100 grams above if concentration is what you are after.
- Liver, chicken, raw 228.26µg per 100 grams
- Liver, chicken, fried in corn oil 127.81µg per 100 grams
- Yeast, dried 118.34µg per 100 grams
- Yeast, bakers, compressed 113.21µg per 100 grams
- Giblets, chicken, boiled 83.33µg per 100 grams
- Kidney, pig, fried 63.86µg per 100 grams
- Kidney, ox, stewed 57.25µg per 100 grams
- Pangasius, flesh only, raw 51.22µg per 100 grams
- Plaice, flesh only, raw 46.97µg per 100 grams
- Pangasius, flesh only, poached 45.98µg per 100 grams
- Pangasius, flesh only, baked 45.87µg per 100 grams
- Plaice, flesh only, steamed 42.2µg per 100 grams
Common questions about Vitamin B7 (biotin)
- How much biotin do I need?
- The UK label reference intake is 50 µg a day.
- What foods are high in biotin?
- Liver, egg yolk, nuts, seeds and pulses.
- Does biotin help hair and nails?
- The evidence only supports a benefit in people who are deficient, which is rare.
- Can biotin affect blood tests?
- Yes. High-dose biotin supplements can distort the results of some blood tests, including thyroid tests. Tell your doctor if you take them.