‘You might be pregnant and not know it’: Expert says you may get false medical test results if you take these vitamins
If you regularly take biotin gummies for hair and nail growth, you may want to double-check the results of certain medical tests, according to one expert on TikTok.
In a video with over 253,000 views, anatomy teacher and self-proclaimed science nerd Josh Cottle (@scibodytherapy) warns that "you could be pregnant and not know it" if you take over the daily recommended dose of biotin.
Biotin, or vitamin B7, is a vitamin you can get through foods like eggs, bananas, and milk. But in recent years, biotin gummies have been all the rage as companies claim the supplement can increase hair and nail growth and prevent hair thinning.
While a healthy daily dose of biotin is around 30mcg, many popular supplements contain over 2,500mcg.
Why does biotin impact pregnancy tests?
"Turns out that biotin actually suppresses a lot of different hormonal tests," Cottle says.
In the case of pregnancy tests, biotin may suppress your levels of HCG, the hormone that goes up as a pregnancy develops. If your levels are suppressed, the control line on the pregnancy test may not show up, according to a 2018 study.
"That means it may be read as negative, when it's actually positive," Cottle explains.
In the comments, viewers who take biotin express their shock.
"That is the EXACT supplement, and you scared me into thinking that the BIOTIN was growing a child (not active by choice) don't scare me like that," one writes.
"So, you're saying I shouldn't get more at Costco this week?" another asks.
"I was actually scared then remembered that i never actually had shmeks," a third jokes.
@scibodytherapy Biotin can mess with all sorts of lab tests. This is why it’s so important to tell your doctor if you are taking supplements.
♬ Awkward Moments - AstroMusic
Biotin supplements may impact other tests
Pregnancy tests aren't the only assessment that biotin supplements can throw off. Cottle says that thyroid hormone (TSH, T3, and T4) tests are also impacted by biotin, which could lead to an improper diagnosis or medication dosage.
Biotin can also cause Troponin-T tests, which are administered after a heart attack, to produce a lower-than-actual reading.
"That's bad because the troponin is an indicator of how bad the heart attack actually was," Cottle says.
High biotin intake can also cause false hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, he warns.
"My fingers are crossed because I hope a doctor or nurse told you this along the way," Cottle says in the clip. "But it doesn't always come up."
At the end of the video, he lists other tests that biotin can impact, including:
- Parathyroid hormone
- Follicle-stimulating hormone
- Thyroid T3, T4, TSH
- Luteinizing hormone
- Sex-hormone binding globulin
- Estradiol
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- Cortisol
- Folate
- Vitamin B12
- Ferritin
- Vitamin D
Cottle notes that just because biotin supplements can cause false readings doesn't mean you should cut out biotin-rich foods from your diet if you want a flowing mane or long nails.
"This is usually a supplement problem," he says. "In order to get this from food, you'd have to be eating a metric crap ton of liver or brewer's yeast."
Viewers question the supplement industry
In response to Cottle's warnings, some viewers ask why they weren't warned about the potential effects of biotin supplements sooner.
"I hate how unregulated the supplement industry is. They won't tell you this if they don't have to," a viewer writes.
"Why and how are they allowed to sell these," one says. In response, Cottle writes, "FDA does not regulate supplements because supplement companies lobbied HARD to stay unregulated."
While supplements aren't completely unregulated, they aren't held to the same Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation standards as drugs. Technically, no supplement is FDA-approved, which means that they cannot enforce warnings about the product.
"Unlike drugs that must be proven safe and effective for their intended use before marketing, there are no provisions in the law for FDA to approve dietary supplements for safety before they reach the consumer," the FDA guide on supplements reads.
Still, Cottle's warnings are confirmed by the National Institute of Health. And while the FDA does not have to approve supplements, the organization did put out a safety report in 2017 warning consumers and health providers of the impacts biotin may have on lab results.
@scibodytherapy Biotin can mess with all sorts of lab tests. This is why it’s so important to tell your doctor if you are taking supplements.
♬ Awkward Moments - AstroMusic
The Daily Dot reached out to Cottle via email and TikTok direct message for further comment.
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