Biotin Warning: Biotin May Interfere With Some of Your Lab Test Results by Mei Marcie

Take biotin? This vitamin may interfere with your lab results. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety warning about biotin's interference with the results of laboratory testing. In particular, biotin can affect troponin testing, which is a diagnosis for heart attack (myocardial infarction). Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps your body convert food into energy. 

The FDA has this advice for consumers:

• Check whether your supplements contain biotin or vitamin B7. Biotin can be found in multivitamins and supplements for hair, skin and nail growth.

• The daily recommended allowance for biotin is 0.03 mg, which will typically not interfere with lab tests. But supplements for hair, skin and nails may contain much higher levels of biotin.
  

• Due to insufficient information on how many hours prior to testing to stop biotin consumption, it is best to let your health-care provider know if you are taking biotin.

• If your lab test results are of concern, do consult your health-care provider.

Your doctor should also report to the lab test manufacturer and the FDA if an adverse event happens to you subsequent to potentially incorrect laboratory test results due to biotin interference.

Given that the implications for misdiagnosis of heart attack are severe, being aware of the supplements that you are taking and their potential impact on diagnosis is important.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a biotin fact sheet with more information for consumers.  

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