# Does biotin cause kidney stones? Source: https://kidneystonediet.com/preview/ep/does-biotin-cause-kidney-stones/ Published: 2023-10-17 --- [![Kidney Stone Diet Podcast](https://kidneystonediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kidney-Stone-Diet-Podcast-1-1024x1024.jpg)](https://kidneystonediet.com/preview/podcast/) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROT97VZ4QcA)[Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/does-biotin-cause-kidney-stones/id1528474326?i=1000631612608&uo=4)[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/4QEFpcBY10VBPzzAbUd8bX)[Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0868148d-adfd-411d-b3f2-71a0ad1461ec) October 17, 2023 --- ![Jeff Sarris](https://kidneystonediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jeff-Sarris-150x150.jpg) Jeff Sarris Host ![Jill Harris](https://kidneystonediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Kidney-Stone-Diet-Jill-Harris-150x150.jpg) Jill Harris Host This week, Jill answers a listener question about cartilage and whether collagen and biotin are safe for kidney stone formers. This podcast is designed to entertain and inform — not provide medical advice. 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For more than 20 years she’s helped patients understand that kidney stones can be prevented with the right treatment plan. It’s one thing to be told to lower oxalate or drink more water, but HOW do you do it? That’s where she comes in. Through the educational resources at [kidneystonediet.com](https://kidneystonediet.com/), stone formers can learn everything they need to know to significantly lower new stone risk. *Some of the links above may be affiliate links which means that we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!\*\ —— ***Kidney Stone Diet is a SPYR Podcast _****\*\ [*More SPYR Podcasts*](http://spyr.fm/)*_*\ Starting Now / By Amara ## Chapters - 00:01:01 Weight Loss Transformations on the Kidney Stone Diet - 00:04:12 Exercise Timing and Changing Dietary Habits - 00:06:05 Collagen and Biotin Risks for Kidney Stones - 00:10:14 Managing Joint Health and Supplement Risks - 00:12:39 Avoiding Supplement Endorsements and Patient Safety ## Transcript 00:00:00 Jill Harris The following is designed to entertain and inform, not provide medical advice. Always consult your doctor before starting any treatment. 00:00:20 Jeff Sarris Welcome back to the Kidney Stone Diet podcast, the show about reducing your kidney stone risk and living your best life. I'm your host and fellow student, Jeff Sarris. 00:00:28 Jill Harris And I'm Jill Harris, your kidney stone prevention nurse. Hi, Jeff! 00:00:31 Jeff Sarris Hiya! So, yeah, we are full slate today, full slate of episodes. 00:00:36 Jill Harris Dude, we've taped so many shows and done so many things, I'm like, "What day is this?" I mean, I'm just telling you people, if we're a little messed up during this video, it's been a lot today. But we love doing it, and we try to get so many done when we're together, because it's so much fun to be together. 00:00:51 Jeff Sarris Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, for the show, and then even the other things, because on the site, you're going to see some new videos around the course. And I mean, do you want to touch on that at all? ### Weight Loss Transformations on the Kidney Stone Diet 00:01:01 Jill Harris Yeah. So, we're going to— I mean, by the time this is out, we will— this page should be up. So, we're also adding— so, the Kidney Stone Diet, part of the Kidney Stone Diet, a major part of it is people lose weight. And I always say, there's nothing magical about it. People have been so scared from their kidney stone episode that they are going to do every— everything and anything they can do to tighten up their diet. And that means getting rid of the excess salt, getting more fluids in, doing all the goals of the Kidney Stone Diet, which you can find at kidneystonediet.com. And so, what's amazing is the side effect of doing all this, because of these lousy kidney stones, are people get their life back. 90 pounds, 50 pounds. So, the weight loss page is, like I said, go to kidneystonediet.com, and it will probably be weight loss. And you'll see the transformations that my students and patients have made, and even people that have just been on the Facebook group, just by really working day in and day out, and they've lost weight. They've changed their life, and also, they don't make kidney stones anymore. So, I wanted to highlight that for people, because so many people my age are, you know, "I've tried every diet. Nothing works for me." And there's reasons why diets don't work for you. Number one, diets don't work very well if you're depriving yourself constantly. So, that's why I always have the "portion, not perfection" shirt on, because life is not meant not to have a french fry again, folks, even if they are high in oxalate or they're higher in calories. You got to have some things, sometimes. You just get right back to work. So, in the Kidney Stone Prevention Course, we talk about that kind of stuff in the group calls. How do you get through obstacles? You're going to have a plateau if you're losing weight. How do you keep on pushing through that plateau? Because all of you want to keep losing weight and fast. And I'm here to tell you that it takes a minute, and you have got to be patient, and you've got to manage your expectations. But we're highlighting the weight loss part of this diet, because so many patients take their life back after this stone incident, because it was just that bad, and they are ready to make major lifestyle changes. But once you make those changes, how do you keep on doing it so it does become a lifestyle? And the Kidney Stone Prevention Course teaches you how to do that, so, yeah, I'm very excited about this portion. It's it's it's the Kidney Stone Diet, but joining the course and staying in the group calls and learning how to keep on going with all the things we're asking you to do so you continue to lose weight. The group calls are support, love, you're going to hear people's journeys are the same as yours. You're not alone. You're not the only one who didn't have the cupcake for dessert, but at 3:00 a.m. You dug through the garbage and had it. That's what, that's what people, real people do, folks. And so, it's not easy to lose weight, or I'll say this, it's really easy to lose weight—most of you have—keeping it off is where people have a hard time. And so, we're addressing that— —with the Kidney Stone Diet. 00:04:04 Jeff Sarris Yeah, and maybe along with building some muscle, too, and just sort of overall health and wellness to be able to attack the day. ### Exercise Timing and Changing Dietary Habits 00:04:12 Jill Harris Yeah, because once you start doing the diet, great. Now you've lost weight. Now how do you start an exercise program? And so that comes later, you know. I'm not an advocate of like diet and exercise starting tomorrow, because, typically, we have to get our footing, and there's so much to learn with diet, which I think is the most important thing. Once you start lose— and by the way, if you're 400 pounds, you don't feel like moving. So, first you have to start with diet, lose some weight. Then, as you feel safer and more confident and, you know, you feel ready to put on some leggings, then you can go start your exercise program. But again, I'm here to tell you—and this is why I'll never be a rich woman—this all takes time. And so managing your expectations of what weight loss looks like, how to keep it over time, gaining muscle—that's not easy, it takes time. Even though I'm telling you kind of like, "Really, girl, it takes time. I don't want to hear that," it is the safest way to lose weight. More importantly, you've got to learn things about yourself that you didn't know that's keeping the weight on, too. It's your behavior behaviors, it's your habits, it's it's changing your mind. It's changing your belief system around food. It's changing the way you were brought up with food, and now those habits are instilled in your heart and, you know, what happens, you're trying to change habits, but the damn thing about habit changing is the old one is sitting right there. It never goes away, so that's the hard part. When that old habit, when that old routine creeps back in, how do you work against that and keep your new habit intact? It's very difficult stuff, and that's what the group calls with me are all about. 00:05:52 Jeff Sarris Yeah. Yeah, and it's so just valuable to have that community to be a part of. But we actually have a question this week. 00:06:00 Jill Harris Okay. 00:06:01 Jeff Sarris So, let me just queue that up. ### Collagen and Biotin Risks for Kidney Stones 00:06:05 Jill Harris Hi, my name is Karen from Hewlett, New York. I've called before, and, Jill, I look forward to your podcasts every week. My question is about supplements. I have— I'm relatively healthy, I'm 68 years old, but I have some cartilage loss in my knees from playing tennis. And I've heard a lot, I've read a lot about collagen supplements, and I also like to maybe take biotin, which I know is very commonly used to strengthen hair and nails. So, my question is, is there anything I should be worried about oxalates and/or forming stones from taking supplements, particularly collagen and biotin? Thank you. 00:06:48 Jeff Sarris Karen, right? 00:06:49 Jill Harris Karen. Okay. Hello, Karen. Collagen, we have a video on collagen on this YouTube channel, and, yes, taking collagen can convert over to oxalate, studies show. So, we are not fans of collagen for kidney stones. And there's not a lot of great studies, really good studies, saying collagen's going to do a heck of a lot, okay, for the things that it says it does. So, I just want to put that out there. But specifically for kidney stones, it can convert over to excess oxalate in our body, so it's a no for kidney stones. Biotin, I don't have any information that says it's bad for kidney stones. Talk to your doctor about the use of biotin. Okay, so here's what I will say about this, too. People swear that if they take biotin, their hair, you know, all of a sudden they have 20-year-old head of hair, their nails are beautiful and fluffy again. And so, I don't have any research disproving biotin or saying that biotin is going to increase your kidney stone risk. I have no research to say otherwise. So, it could be something you talk to your doctor about. Will it, you know, give you a full head of hair and, you know, make your nails better? I don't I don't have great research that says it will do that either. But if it's not going to increase your kidney stone risk, why not try it? I'm always going to go back and be annoying, though, and say, what about tightening up your diet? Making sure you get enough protein every day. A lot of women are walking around not actually getting enough protein for various reasons, and so not getting enough protein can also lead to hair loss and brittle nails. So, that is definitely a possibility. As we get older, these things definitely happen, you know. So, you know, I've definitely lost hair since I've gotten older. I don't feel like supplementing. I don't I don't care. You know, I'll wear a hat, but that's me. I'm not I also will say this, I don't I don't care about those kind of things. If you do, I think that's really important because everybody needs to make them— whatever makes you feel valuable. You know, there's certain things in my life that make me feel more valuable, give me more confidence that maybe it wouldn't bother another person. So, we all have our things. So, if biotin, if a doctor says that's okay for you to use—you said hair and nails—I hear about the cartilage. Look, I would talk to the doctor about other supplements other than collagen to see if there's any supplements that would even increase cartilage. I don't know about that. That's something to talked about talk about with your doctor. I know a healthier diet, if you if you can improve on your diet first, I always go there. Is it going to grow back cartilage? That would be no. Could be you're looking at a knee replacement, but collagen for kidney stone formers increases your risk, so a higher oxalate level. So, that's a no, too. The biotin, if you wanted to try it, I know of no reason to not try it with kidney stones, but talk to your doctor about it, see if it's problem in any other area for you. 00:10:04 Jeff Sarris Yeah, and looking at inflammation, too, when it comes to cartilage and, I mean, inflamed joints are going to also just perform at a lower capacity. ### Managing Joint Health and Supplement Risks 00:10:14 Jill Harris Yeah, at some place, you know, I mean, you know, at some point in our lives, as we get older, we have to think about, you know, knee replacements, which I dread. I mean, I do a lot of walking, I've exercised a lot in my life. So far, I'm okay, but, you know, I'm I'm 60. When I'm 70 or 75, will that be the case? It's so funny, I often think about that because, you know, surgery stinks. So, we want to do anything we can to avoid them, right? So, biotin, as far as I'm concerned, I don't see any reason for I don't see any problem with it with kidney stones. That being said, too, I'm always so careful with supplements. People tend to overdo them, and supplements are not without side effects, people, so pay attention to that. So, that's why I always direct people back to their doctor. And the and then the blowback I get from that is, "My doctor doesn't know a damn thing about supplements, Jill." I get that, but I'm not I'm just saying I don't want to be responsible, because people trust me, which is so freaking awesome. But with that, I'm careful with what I say because if I say everyone should take biotin supplements, they may. And so, supplements do not come without side effects. Think calcium supplements with kidney stones, excess vitamin D with kidney stones. There's there's risk factors for stuff, people. They're not like Pez candy. There's things that happen. You can ask the pharmacist, Karen, about biotin and what he or she knows about it, as well. I like to take the responsibility off me with supplements. You know, I don't know people's medical history. I don't know what they're going to do with the information once I once I say it, so I'm always very careful, because this is about people's health. 00:11:55 Jeff Sarris Yeah, and like you said, the trust. 00:11:58 Jill Harris Yeah. 00:11:58 Jeff Sarris You've earned that trust, and like you'll see a lot of people online, a lot of influencers, it's like they're talking about this, they make all their money, now they talk about this— 00:12:04 Jill Harris Yes. 00:12:05 Jeff Sarris —just because there's more money there. But this is why there's a very specific lane. I mean, you're not the Harvard the heart talking about lists, I mean the Harvard list you've used for decades for a reason. You're not looking for a new one, you're not creating your own, you're not selling a list. It's just, this works. Yeah, this works, so we stick it, stick here. "Stick it" sounds aggressive! So, we stay here because it works, and not because you need to find a new way to convince people to spend money. This is purely to reach more people, because there's so many more people to reach with this information. ### Avoiding Supplement Endorsements and Patient Safety 00:12:39 Jill Harris Absolutely. And I can't tell you how much money I've left on the table from supplement companies calling me and saying, "Hey, you know, you got a nice little following. We'd like you to— here's a check for endorse." No, absolutely not. I have a good following because they trust me. And the moment I start taking money for a pill, that's the moment I just call it a day, and it's about time for me to retire, because I will never do that. For those people that do that, God bless. We all make our way in the world. I just need to sleep and also remember I come at this as a patient, pretty much first, before I even do a Kidney Stone Prevention Nurse, 'cause when you're sick, you're desperate and hopeless and scared and all that, you'll take whatever somebody tells you to take. And I had to I when I thought I was literally dying from my stage 4 diagnosis, I did a lot of I took a lot of stuff, okay? So, I'm I'm telling you from my perspective as well. I spent a lot of money on stuff that didn't do nothing. So, be careful of that. And it also could cause harm, so I'm I'm over the top about supplements. I will tell you what I know about them. I will tell you what can increase the risk of kidney stones, but as far as what it's going to do for cartilage and all, that's not that's not my lane and I'm very careful. And I will never endorse or take money. I feel very free to say that right now. I've said it my whole career, 25 years. I will never take money for a supplement unless something is just out of this world special, and then I would, of course, disclose it. So, you know, no and no. That's not my lane. I stay in my lane. 00:14:15 Jeff Sarris Absolutely. 00:14:17 Jill Harris Yeah. 00:14:17 Jeff Sarris Yeah, and I think that's one of the many things everyone loves about you, because it's it's very commendable. But thank you, Karen, for your question and your call. If you're out there with a question, 773-789-8763 is the number, or you can send a voice memo to podcast@kidneystonediet.com. And to find all the resources, again, the website is kidneystonediet.com, and we have free, we have paid, we have the blog, we have the weekly email newsletter, we have the prevention course, we have meal plans, just a myriad of options to try to help you reduce your kidney stone risk and live your best life. So, with that, I think we will wrap for this week and wrap for this recording session. It's been a full day with a lot of content, a lot of different videos, but thank you again for tuning in. Thank you, Jill, for your time, just on behalf of the audience, as well, because, I mean, sharing your time with everyone is it's very valuable. 00:15:11 Jill Harris It's a privilege! Thanks, Care. Thanks for calling again. Call as many times as you like. 00:15:15 Jeff Sarris Absolutely. And we'll see you next time. 00:15:17 Jill Harris Bye!