Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is a water soluble nutrient that helps convert food into energy. It’s important for pregnancy and breastfeeding. It also helps support hair, skin and nail growth.
The problem is that biotin supplements can interfere with important blood tests that your doctor uses for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
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Some lab tests use biotin in the tests because of its binding properties. This helps catch disease markers, using biotin as a form of "bait." If a patient is taking high doses of biotin as prescribed by a doctor, these lab tests could provide incorrect results.
Listen as Dr. Ramani Wonderling joins Dr. Susanne Bennett to share how test results can be affected by biotin.
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Biotin & Blood Tests: Are You Getting Inaccurate Results?
Could your biotin supplement lead to inaccurate blood test results?
Additional Info
- Segment Number: 1
- Audio File: wellness_for_life/wl339.mp3
- Featured Speaker: Ramani Wonderling, PhD
- Guest Website: What's the Big Deal About Biotin?
- Guest Twitter Account: @AbbottNews
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Guest Bio:
In her current role, Dr. Ramani Wonderling serves as the scientific liaison between Abbott and its core laboratory customers, addressing technical questions and providing scientific proof sources.
Prior to this role, she has worked on the development of tests for hepatitis viruses, HIV, Chagas disease (parasitic disease that if left untreated can cause swelling/fever, or even congestive heart failure) and toxoplasmosis (common parasitic disease that can cause serious complications for pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems).
She has 17 patents, has given more than 800 scientific presentations and has several publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Prior to Abbott, she worked on cytokine (small protein) discovery, therapeutics and DNA vaccines at Heska Corporation.
Dr. Ramani Wonderling received her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of South Carolina. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland and worked on adeno-associated virus (AAV) as a gene therapy vector.
- Length (mins): 23:06
- Waiver Received: Yes
- Host: Susanne Bennett, DC
Published in
Wellness for Life
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