Consumption of a Low-Carbohydrate and High-Fat Diet Exaggerates Biotin Deficiency in Mice

September 2013 in “ Nutrition ”

Masahiro Yuasa, Tomoyoshi Matsui, Saori Ando, Yoshie Ishii, Hiromi Sawamura, Shuhei Ebara, Toshiaki Watanabe

ketogenic diet biotin deficiency hair loss dermatitis biotin-dependent carboxylases biotin supplementation keto diet biotin

TLDR The ketogenic diet can worsen biotin deficiency, suggesting a need for biotin supplements.

This study evaluated the effects of the ketogenic diet on biotin status in male mice (N = 32) divided into four groups: control diet, biotin-deficient (BD) diet, ketogenic control diet, and ketogenic biotin-deficient (KBD) diet. After 9 weeks, only the KBD group exhibited typical biotin deficiency symptoms like hair loss and dermatitis. Both the KBD and BD groups showed significantly decreased levels of biotin-dependent carboxylases and total tissue biotin, with more severe changes in the KBD group. The findings indicated that the ketogenic diet increases biotin consumption and bioavailability, leading to exaggerated biotin deficiency in biotin-deficient mice, suggesting a need for biotin supplementation for those on the ketogenic diet.

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