Q. What is the common name for vitamin H?

Answer

Vitamin H or biotin is a part of the B vitamin family. In 1933 Hungarian scientist Paul Gyorgy began looking into the cause of egg-white damage and by 1939 he had identified the component which he named "Vitamin H." (the H represents Haar und Haut German for hair and skin). In German "H" stands for "Haar" and "Haut" which mean "hair" and "skin" respectively. A biotin supplement of 2.5 milligrams taken daily for six months has been recommended by several small studies to improve nail strength and lessen the propensity for nails to break. These are involved in crucial metabolic activities including glucose and fatty acid synthesis.