Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

Vitamin B7 is a small compound called biotin. Biotin is a cofactor for several enzymes involved in metabolism and catabolism. Deficiency is rare, but can be caused by over-consumption of raw egg whites, as raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin which binds extremely tightly to biotin. Cooking the egg whites denatures the avidin and prevents it from reacting with biotin. Deficiency causes symptoms such as conjunctivitis. Nuts and mushrooms are excellent sources of biotin.