Certain rare inborn diseases can leave people with depletion of biotin due to the inability to metabolize the vitamin normally. A dietary deficiency of biotin, however, is quite uncommon, even in those consuming a diet low in this B vitamin. Nonetheless, if someone eats large quantities of raw egg whites, a biotin deficiency can develop, because a protein in the raw egg white inhibits the absorption of biotin. Cooked eggs do not present this problem. Long-term antibiotic use can interfere with biotin production in the intestine and increase the risk of deficiency symptoms, such as dermatitis, depression, hair loss,⁶anemia, and nausea. Long-term use of anti-seizure medications may also lead to biotin deficiency.⁷Alcoholics and people with diseases of the stomach have been reported to show evidence of poor biotin status. However, the usefulness of biotin supplementation for these people remains unclear.⁸ In animals, and possibly in humans, biotin deficiency can cause birth defects.⁹ As biotin deficiency may occur in as many as 50% of pregnant women,¹⁰ it seems reasonable to use a prenatal multiple vitamin and mineral formula that contains biotin.