Parasitic Diseases

Biotin (vitamin B7) is an essential micronutrient that's important for energy production and other functions in your body. It is found in foods like oats and egg yolks and can also be taken in supplement form. Biotin supplements and shampoos are often promoted for improving hair health and regrowing lost hair. However, research suggests they're only effective in people whose hair problems are caused by a biotin deficiency. This article discusses the possible benefits of biotin for your health and hair, its possible side effects and safety information, the proper dosage, and how to select the right biotin product for you. Verywell / JR Bee What Is Biotin? Biotin is an essential vitamin—meaning your body needs it to function properly but doesn't produce it on its own. You need to get biotin from your diet or supplements. Biotin helps your body: Turn dietary protein, carbohydrates, and fat into energy Regulate s...

Whether struggling with acne, an increase in wrinkles with aging, or getting a skin wound to heal, there are a variety of skin health issues many of us can relate to. The skin is the largest organ in the body, and new skin cells are constantly being made. Of course nutrition can impact skin health, but It's important to keep in mind many factors—like genetics and your environment—also have a big impact on skin health. Certain vitamins are helpful for skin health, as they provide the building blocks needed for skin and help the skin repair when damaged. They can often be found in topical skin care products. Vitamins A, C, D, and E especially can play a role in skin health. You can get most of these from food–or with vitamin D, from the sun. However if you do not eat enough foods with these nutrients, then supplements may be helpful to boost your intake of skin health nutrients.  Other nutrients like CoQ10, collagen, zinc, and omega 3s can also play a role in s...

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Natural supplement Berberine is being lauded as a natural alternative to diabetes medication Ozempic — but is it bad for your kidneys? Source: iStock One of the most controversial trends in health and wellness has been the drug Ozempic. Typically, Ozempic treats type 2 diabetes, but a growing list of celebrities and influencers have been touting the medication online as a miracle weight loss solution. Despite the alleged results, the FDA has not approved Ozempic for weight loss, and the drug already has a lengthy list of gnarly potential side effects. Article continues below advertisement It was only a matter of time before someone created an alternative to Ozempic. In this case, that alternative seems to be Berberine, a supplement proposed as a "natural" weight loss option. As of publication, the hashtag #berberine has over 100 million views on TikTok, with many hailing the pill as another miracle drug. But experts are less certain — is Berberine bad for your kidneys? Does i...

As many as 29 percent of the nearly 38,000 adults in one study reported taking biotin from 1999 to 2012. Are you considering a supplement? Here's how biotin may help you. A Biotin Supplement Can Treat a Biotin Deficiency One of the main reasons you'd reach for a biotin supplement is to reverse a biotin deficiency. Luckily, biotin deficiencies are rare, says Kubala, and according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, there has never been a severe biotin deficiency reported in healthy individuals eating a typical diet with a range of foods. "If you're following a healthy, well-rounded diet, you're probably taking in more than enough biotin on a daily basis," adds Kubala. But a specific genetic disorder called biotinidase deficiency leads to biotin deficiency. (U.S. newborns are screened for the condition, so if you were born in the United States, you'll likely know if you have it.) Separately, chronic alcohol use can affect biotin absorption, leading to a de...

A heap of dead bees was supposed to become food for a newly captured praying mantis. Instead, the pile ended up revealing a previously unrecognized suspect in colony collapse disorder—a mysterious condition that for several years has been causing declines in U.S. honeybee populations, which are needed to pollinate many important crops. This new potential culprit is a bizarre—and potentially devastating—parasitic fly that has been taking over the bodies of honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) in Northern California. John Hafernik, a biology professor at San Francisco State University, had collected some belly-up bees from the ground underneath lights around the University's biology building. "But being an absent-minded professor," he noted in a prepared statement, "I left them in a vial on my desk and forgot about them." He soon got a shock. "The next time I looked at the vial, there were all these fly pupae surrounding the bees," he said. A fly ( Apoce...