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By: Maria Masters menshealth.com You hear the advice constantly: You need fiber. It's crucial to your health. Fine, but how much fiber, and how crucial is it? Maybe you're wondering, What is fiber, exactly? Let's start with the basics. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that makes up the structural material in the leaves, stems, and roots of plants. But unlike sugar and starch—the other two kinds of carbs—fiber stays intact until it nears the end of your digestive system. This, it seems, is what makes fiber beneficial, and why you've probably heard you can't eat enough of it. Now read on to separate the facts from the fiction. All Fiber is Created Equal FALSE: There are two basic types of fiber, with different functions. Insoluble fiber is found in wheat bran, nuts, and many vegetables. Its structure is thick and rough, and it won't dissolve in water, so it zips through your digestive tract and increases stool bulk. Soluble fiber is found in oats, beans, barley, a...

Thu Jul 29, 5:35 PM PDT After only one year behind the judges' table on "American Idol," Ellen DeGeneres is leaving the show. "A couple months ago, I let FOX and the 'American Idol' producers know that this didn't feel like the right fit for me," Ellen said in a statement issued to Access Hollywood on Thursday. "I told them I wouldn't leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next." The talk show host and comedienne revealed that she didn't come to the decision lightly. "It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for," her statement continued. "I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings." Although she is leaving, Ellen said she is thankful for the experien...

Men's Health News Good oral hygiene might protect you from more than just cavities. People who brush their teeth less than twice a day are 70 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who take better care of their smiles, according to a new study in the British Medical Journal. And the researchers found that this was true regardless of age, smoking history, dentists’ visits, and diabetes, among others. So how is oral health is linked to heart health? Researchers suspect that inflammation plays a role. The scientists found that the subjects who brushed their teeth less often also had more levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. This protein is associated with inflammation, and is also linked to atherosclerosis, a condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries.

Men's Health News Older men who take drugs for erectile dysfunction may be at an increased risk of having a sexually transmitted disease, according to a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers found that men over the age of 40 who take meds like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis may be three times more likely to have an STD than men who don’t request a prescription. These men may be more likely to practice unsafe sex or have more partners, says the lead study author Anupam Jena, Ph.D., M.D. Although people in their late teens or early adulthood are more likely to have STDs—including Chlamydia and gonorrhea—the rates of these diseases have been growing in the elderly over the past decade, according to previous research. “[One theory we had was that] the introduction of erectile dysfunction drugs were leading to higher rates of STDs among older folks,” says Jena. “If a drug comes out that allows men to have sex—when they formerly couldn’t, or had difficulty doing so—there ...

www.menshealth.com Leadership is one tough-to-figure art. That's why the Constitution devotes only a few hundred words to describing the president's job, and fewer still—not one—to the kind of person the chief exec ought to be. But take heart. We've figured out what makes a fellow worth following. Our leader-of-the-free-world specs come without reference to public policy. Great presidents can believe in big government or in small, and they can be born on Park Avenue or among the amber waves. We're fed up with the sneers, with the divisive polemics about who's a slacker because he didn't serve and who's a hero because he did. Mostly, we're impatient with insinuations that liberals don't believe in family and conservatives don't believe in civil rights. Our studies show that millions of people in Massachusetts have values and millions more in Texas have brains. Here are some qualities of mind and heart that will serve our republic well from either ...

By: Heather Loeb menshealth.com Is there a more potent symbol of purity than the fluffy white snowflake, wafting from heaven and landing—ping!—on the tip of your tongue? Well, along comes the journal Science to spoil the fun, noting that bacteria called Pseudomonas syringae are lurking at the dark heart of many an earthbound crystal of frozen water. And if Frosty the Snowman is a target, what chance do the rest of us have? A pretty good one, actually—if you make note of the places where the bugs lie and swat them before they can do harm. Here's an updated to-disinfect list for all the surprising places (and people) contagion clings to. Your Vacuum Cleaner The threat: Researchers at the University of Arizona recently found that 50 percent of the vacuum brushes they tested contained fecal bacteria, including 13 percent with E. coli, and all were packing mold. Vacuuming can transfer the germs from contaminated surfaces to uncontaminated ones (think kitchen to living room). The solut...

menshealth.com What to eat and when to eat it to boost your metabolism and fight fatigue all day long Energy management should be one of the principal concerns of the working man, and yet the average guy fuels his body the way he gases up his vehicle: when it's running on fumes. It's a red-warning-light response, and it usually triggers a pit stop for a café au lait and a croissant. Why we eat like the French when there's work to be done, we'll never know. But there's a better way to wake up that doesn't involve overpriced coffee: Eat smart. And eat often. More specifically, snack often. By snacking on the right foods at strategic times, you'll keep your energy levels stoked all day, says sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, R.D. Here's what to eat when, with the prep time you've got. 7 a.m.: Jump-Start Your Body They call it breakfast for a reason: You haven't eaten for at least 8 hours. Your blood-sugar level is at its lowest ebb, and now it's ...

By: John Miley Find out why an ingrown hair could be penis enemy number one "I'm going to try and have you not lose your penis," announced Jason Faulhaber, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at Fenway Health in Boston, Massachusetts. His patient, "Cadillac" Jack McCartney could hardly manage a response. "Really? What do you mean?" asked McCartney. "We have to deal with this aggressively. This is no joke," said Dr. Faulhaber, who's also a clinical instructor at Harvard University Medical School. What had started out as a small pimple on McCartney's left groin was threatening his manhood--and his life. The diagnosis? A deadly strain of staph infection called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA. The root cause? A pesky ingrown hair. McCartney lives a stress-filled life traveling between Boston and New York, working as an operations manager and program director for top-rated radio stations, including Bo...

People who feel insecure in their relationships with others may be more likely to develop heart disease than their more-secure counterparts, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association. The researchers studied more than 5,000 adults and classified them as being either secure, avoidant, or anxious. Secure people had no problem being close to others and also letting their friends be close to them.Those who were labeled as avoidant had trouble connecting with others and letting others connect to them. And lastly, people who classified as anxious tended to worry about rejection and found that others didn’t want to engage in a close relationship. After the scientists calculated the data, they found that the anxious people were at a higher risk of chronic pain, stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and ulcers. For tips on how to communicate–especially with your wife or girlfriend–check out “Stupid Stuff Guys Say.”

menshealth.com Don’t be fooled by the laundry-list labels of modern multivitamins. “Manufacturers will throw in a little something sexy—lutein, lycopene—but rarely enough to be worthwhile,” says Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com, an independent tester of health and nutritional products. You’re better off with a more conservative multivitamin that nails some of the essentials listed below. Vitamin A Maintains healthy bones, vision, and skin; regulates immune system to fight infections. Dietary sources: Liver, milk, eggs, and cheese RDA: 3,000 IU/day (10,000 IU/day upper limit) Vitamin B-6 Helps your immune system manufacture disease-fighting antibodies; produces mood hormones serotonin and dopamine and the sleep hormone melatonin. Dietary sources: Beans, poultry, fish, grains, fortified breads and cereals RDA: 1.3 mg/day (100 mg/day upper limit) Vitamin C Essential for growth and repair of tissue, production of collagen and certain neurotransmitters. It also helps th...

By Carolyn Kylstra, menshealth.com Going through a separation or divorce? Then you’d better separate from your social media accounts. Eighty-one percent of the country’s top divorce attorneys say they’ve seen an increase in the number of cases that have used social networking interactions as evidence, according to a recent survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. The most popular online divorce evidence comes from Facebook—66 percent cite it as the primary source, followed by MySpace (15 percent) and Twitter (5 percent). Alan Plevy, a family law attorney at the firm SmolenPlevy in Vienna, Virginia, says most of his clients have at least one of these three accounts—and he’s seen the impact they have had firsthand. “For some reason or another, people seem to think that these sites are private,” he says. “And then they do things on those sites that tend to get them in trouble.” These include: Posting pictures of a recent trip to Cancun, when they’ve claimed poverty to avoid...

By: Stephen Perrine with Heather Hurlock Your ultimate weight-loss tool doesn’t require assembly like some Ab-O-Matic, it doesn’t cost an entire paycheck, and it doesn’t even require you to break a sweat. It’s in your refrigerator, and it’s called food. The problem is that our “old American diet” has too many calories and not enough real food. So the answer isn’t eating less food—it’s eating more of the right foods. There are 15 of them in particular, and they couldn’t be easier to remember because the first letter of each food spells out NEW AMERICAN DIET. As detailed in the latest Men’s Health’s book, The New American Diet, these foods are the cure for our old American diet. In fact, in an initial test run, those who tried the New American Diet lost an average of 15 pounds in just 6 weeks. The secret? High-nutrition foods that fill your body with quality fuel and protect you from obesity-causing chemicals (called “obesogens”) found in many conventional food products. Discover how eas...

By: Amanda Junker Supplement your diet or medicine regimen with these doctor-approved extras for your heart. Don't want to end up on a stretcher? Then supplement your ticker with these pills and nutrients to prevent any trouble in the first place. "I think of supplements as things that enable the body. A lot prescription medicines block a process, so I prefer to enable instead of block, enhance instead of stop," says Keith Berkowitz, M.D., from the Center for Balanced Health in New York City. From the vitamin that helps boost good cholesterol to the fat that helps lube the arteries, we have five recommendations that will arm your body against cardiac arrest. Aspirin Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory medicine that thins your blood, making it more difficult for your body to develop clots that can cause heart attacks. A Canadian study shows aspirin is especially effective in men. The reason why isn't confirmed, but researchers speculate it's because "blood clots t...

By: Maria Masters Regardless of how often or how hard you work out, there's still a good chance that you're sitting your life away Do you lead an active lifestyle or a sedentary one? The question is simple, but the answer may not be as obvious as you think. Let's say, for example, you're a busy guy who works 60 hours a week at a desk job but who still manages to find time for five 45-minute bouts of exercise. Most experts would label you as active. But Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., has another name for you: couch potato. Perhaps "exercising couch potato" would be more accurate, but Hamilton, a physiologist and professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, would still classify you as sedentary. "People tend to view physical activity on a single continuum," he says. "On the far side, you have a person who exercises a lot; on the other, a person who doesn't exercise at all. However, they're not necessarily polar...

Menshealth.com It's billed as an epic story of good versus evil—biology in comic-book form. The villains: free radicals, those nefarious DNA-attacking poisons of modern life. Our fearless defenders: antioxidants, poised to protect us from—well, everything, right? You've heard the claims: They cure cancer! They prevent aging! They supercharge your immune system! But while we think we know what antioxidants do, few of us know what antioxidants actually are. And food manufacturers are fine with that; the less you know, the more likely you are to swallow the hype. "Antioxidants have a health aura around them," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. "They are supposed to fight something bad in your body. Who wouldn't want to consume more of a helper like that?" There's no doubt that antioxidants can be good for you. But to maximize their benefit, we first have to strip away some...

By Daniel Scocco Having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job. That is beyond discussion. How does one make sure that his resume is top notch and bullet proof, however? There are several websites with tips around the web, but most bring just a handful of them. We wanted to put them all together in a single place, and that is what you will find below: 44 resume writing tips. 1. Know the purpose of your resume Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document was to land a job. As a result they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you the job (hopefully!). 2. Back up your qualities and strengths Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver) try to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words, you need to b...