Nutrition & DietPopular Hair Growth Vitamin Biotin May Skew Critical Cancer Lab Results
Biotin, a widely used vitamin supplement marketed for hair and nail growth, is raising serious concerns among oncologists. Cancer patients frequently take biotin to combat treatment-related hair loss, but there is little evidence it actually helps. More critically, high-dose biotin can interfere with blood tests used to monitor cancers including prostate, thyroid, ovarian, and breast cancers. The supplement distorts the chemical reactions these tests rely on, causing results to appear falsely high or low. For example, it may suppress PSA or TSH readings, potentially hiding cancer recurrence, or falsely elevate reproductive hormones, delaying necessary therapy. An oncodermatologist at Ohio State University published a paper in JCO Oncology Practice urging oncologists to proactively discuss this risk with patients, as more than half of hair-loss patients seen in her clinic are self-medicating with supplements.
