A Higher-Biotin Prenatal Multivitamin Formulation Improves Maternal and Cord Blood Biotin Biomarkers: A 24-Week Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

This double-blind, randomized, controlled trial primarily aimed to determine how supplementation of a prenatal multivitamin with biotin levels above the Adequate Intake (AI) affected biotin status in mother-fetus dyads. Additionally, the correlation between biotin status and stress markers was also explored. Eighty healthy pregnant women were recruited between gestational week 12 and 16. They received a prenatal multivitamin containing either 150 μg (intervention) or 30 μg (control) biotin for 24 wk. Sixty-two participants completed the study. Fasting blood samples were collected at week 0, 12, and 24 and cord blood was collected at delivery to measure biotin status biomarkers and stress-related hormones. At both week 12 and 24, the intervention group had significantly higher serum biotin concentrations than the control group (p < 0.01). Cord blood biotin concentrations were also higher in the intervention than in the control group (p < 0.01). Maternal plasma concentrations of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid-carnitine (3HIA-carnitine), a metabolite accumulated with marginal biotin insufficiency, were also more pronouncedly reduced in the intervention group (p = 0.035). Maternal stress hormone cortisol concentrations were lower (p = 0.04) in the intervention versus the control group and cortisol concentrations demonstrated a negative association with biotin concentrations in both maternal and cord blood (p < 0.05). Moreover, osteocalcin, a bone-derived hormone that suppresses chronic cortisol elevation, was positively associated with biotin concentrations in the cord blood (β = 0.013, p = 0.044). In conclusion, a higher-biotin prenatal multivitamin formulation with biotin content exceeding the AI led to increases in biotin biomarkers in the mother-fetus dyad. The higher concentrations of biotin status biomarkers were related to mitigation of stress indicators. Further research is needed to confirm the positive role of a higher biotin intake in improving maternal and fetal health. This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05673070).