Huge news for the over-caffeinated coffee lovers among us: According to a new statement from the American Heart Association, drinking up to five cups of black coffee a day may be linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular conditions, including heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.
Before you start ordering another round at Starbucks, however, remember that the FDA still recommends limiting caffeine to 400 milligrams per day. Depending on how it’s brewed, five cups could easily put you over that mark.
You Should Know: Ever wondered why hair eventually turns gray? Well, it comes down to melanin — or the eventual lack of it. Every strand of hair gets its color from this natural pigment made in your hair follicles. Your hair moves through growth cycles that last years, and follicles pump out fresh melanin at the start of each one. After somewhere between seven and 15 of these cycles, melanin production stops for good, and then new white or gray hair grows in without pigment.
Going Deeper: Genetics determines much of the timeline for all this. If your parents grayed early, then you probably will too. Stress also plays a role because when your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, it releases norepinephrine, which pushes melanin-producing cells out of the follicle. Certain medications and vitamin deficiencies can also speed the process along.
Takeaway: There’s no medical treatment that reliably restores color once it’s gone, though managing stress might slow the process. Hair dye remains the main option if any gray strands are bothering you.
Bottom Line: When and if you go gray comes down to biology and time, so it’s mostly outside your control.
It’s easy to sip, quick to heat, and substantial enough to feel like more than a beverage. For afternoons when you want something comforting without reaching for another bar, shake, or cold brew, this is worth a look.
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Mindfulness
Why Smoking Is Making a Comeback Among Gen Z
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The Trend: What goes around comes around when it comes to trends and fashion, and it appears we’ve reached the “come around” moment for one that was seemingly gone forever: smoking. Cigarettes are making a comeback, particularly among young Gen Z adults. The resurgence can be attributed to multiple elements: more images of celebs smoking on social media and on the screen, the wave of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia and desire for anything analog, a need for stress relief, and a dose of nihilism and rebellion.
What People Are Saying: Public attitude toward smoking also appears to have softened. In November, more than 2,000 New Yorkers smoked cigs together in Central Park for a planned communal “five-minute group smoke.” On social media, people lament the loss of the smoke break, which allowed you to go outside, unwind for a few minutes, and bond with other smokers.
What to Know: Anti-smoking campaigns have waned in recent years, so Gen Z hasn’t been as inundated with this messaging like older generations were. It might be recently back in style and have a “good old days” nostalgic vibe, but smoking is still dangerous and still causes cancer and death.
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Fitness
Exercise Appears to Rewind the Clock on Muscle Aging
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Hit Rewind: Muscle loss and muscle weakening are major concerns in older adults, but we have the power to slow — or even reverse — muscle aging. New research suggests exercise can reverse some of the cellular changes associated with muscle aging.
The Study: Researchers wanted to understand why muscles lose strength and function with age, and how exercise might counteract that process. They identified a protein called DEAF1 that becomes more active in aging muscle. When that happens, it disrupts a cellular system called mTORC1, which helps muscles manage the production and recycling of proteins. That disruption can contribute to the buildup of damaged proteins and other signs of muscle aging. Exercise also appeared to activate another pathway, called FOXO, which suppressed DEAF1 and helped restore healthier muscle function. When researchers blocked this pathway, many of exercise’s beneficial effects disappeared.
The Takeaway: More than just making muscles stronger, exercise may reverse some of the underlying cellular changes that occur as muscles age.
Keep in Mind: This research doesn’t prove that exercise literally makes human muscles biologically young again. The study focused on the cellular mechanisms behind muscle aging, and more research is needed to determine how these findings translate into specific exercise recommendations for people.
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Quick Picks
Wake-Up Call — Why do you wake up groggy after 8 hours of sleep?
Keep It in Check — These 8 exercises can help lower blood pressure naturally.
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What We're Cooking
Easy 5-Ingredient Salmon
Courtesy: Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Serves: 4 | CookTime: 10 minutes
You can whip-up this salmon recipe whip-fast with just a few pantry staples for a huge flavor payoff. Fresh salmon fillets are rubbed with garlic powder, dried basil, and salt, then seared in butter until browned, tender, and flaky. Serve with lemon wedges for a bright finish that keeps this simple weeknight dinner feeling fresh and satisfying.
Made with real ingredients and no concentrates or preservatives, it comes in eight flavors, including Organic Chicken, Spicy Nonna, and Organic Mushroom. Consider it the snack-beverage hybrid you didn’t know your afternoon routine was missing.
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HEALTHY HABIT
Tiny Learning Loop
Choose any topic. Spend five minutes reading two pages or watching a short tutorial. Write one sentence about what you learned and one action you’ll take. Schedule the action. Repeating this loop a few times weekly compounds skills surprisingly fast.
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Final Thought
Either you think — or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.”
