Health: Body News.(vitamins for weight loss)(hair styling methods)(toothbrush and oral hygiene)

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Weight-Loss Vitamins

Weight-Loss Vitamins Certain vitamin supplements may help control weight, a study of more than 15,000 people suggests. Four supplements -- a standard multivitamin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and chromium -- were each linked with decreased weight gain in a ten-year period. In the case of vitamin B12, average weight gain among obese women was 16 pounds for those who did not take it, versus 5 pounds for those who took a supplement of at least 35 micrograms daily. Although that finding was unexpected, B vitamins are known to play a role in regulating metabolism, says M. C. Nachtigal, a researcher with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The effect can't simply be attributed to the fact that people who take supplements tend to lead healthier lives, because the participants' weight varied according to which supplements they were taking. Those that appeared to have no effect on weight included Coenzyme Q10, fiber, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, melatonin, Saint-John's-wort, and soy.

Styling Damage

Styling Damage Before styling hair with a curling iron or heated rollers, it's important to dry it thoroughly, according to a study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science. Even then, some damage is probably inevitable. When Yash Kamath, research director of the Textile Research Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, treated dry hair with a curling iron, he observed microscopic cracks in the fibers. Thermal treatment on wet hair had the same effect, but in addition, the steam caused bubbling and buckling of the cuticle. "Wet hair swells and deforms more, and bending ...