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      A New Book Finds the Culprit Behind Shrinking Penises and Suicidal Sperm

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      We know that environmental pollutants can lead to cancer, heart disease, and brain damage, but now one scientist is linking them to shrinking penises.

      Yep, you read that right. In her new book Count Down, reproductive epidemiologist Shanna Swan, Ph.D., argues that the downsizing of one particular male organ can be connected to everyday chemicals. If that’s not sobering enough for you, the book’s subtitle is How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race.
      Courtesy ImageIf Swan’s name sounds familiar, it may be due to the 2017 study she helped conduct that found that, in Western countries, men’s sperm counts have dropped by more than half over nearly 40 years.

      What’s to blame for shrinking penises
      In the case of penises getting smaller, Count Down puts the blame on a group of chemicals known as phthalates.
      Phthalates can be found in plastic, vinyl, floor and wall coverings, medical devices, and toys. They’re also an ingredient in hair sprays, soaps, and shampoos. You may have used a product with phthalates in the shower this morning.

      According to research, exposure to high concentrates of phthalates in mothers can alter male reproductive development in infants. Early data suggest that men whose mothers were exposed to high levels of phthalates have reduced testicular volume, which associates with lower testicular function.
      “It’s an unfortunate cluster of effects, from multiple perspectives,” Swan writes in the book.

      In addition, young men with high levels of metabolized phthalates have poorer sperm mobility and form. They’re also at risk for sperm apoptosis, which is another way of saying sperm suicide.
      Swan writing that “It’s safe to assume that no man wants to hear that his sperm are self-destructing,” may be, at least, one of the understatements of the decade.
      Phthalates are not only bad for men, as high levels of exposure are equally as harmful to women. Premature ovarian failure, hormonal disorders, and early menopause are just some of the effects on women.

      What happens next
      Swan says that she wrote the book to illustrate the harmful effects of chemical exposure. At the moment, some companies have voluntarily phased out use of phthalates, while the European Union is planning to do so in the future. Currently, the U.S. has no plans to regulate the chemicals.
      While Count Down came out recently, some are suggesting that it might lead more people, especially men, to action. Linking to an article on the book, climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted “See you all at the next climate strike:)”

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      Best Infrared Light Devices for Hair Loss, Workout Recovery, and More

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      For at least a decade, doctors, physiotherapists, and chiropractors have used infrared light therapy to heal injured muscles and treat conditions like Parkinson disease, depression, and even cancer. Now, the benefits are not just for the lettered. You can buy at-home infrared light devices to help manage everything from injuries to blood pressure, hair loss to wrinkles. Question is, while infrared light devices promise to be a medical panacea, they cost thousands of dollars. Are they worth it?
      The devices vary in size, shape, and function, but all use infrared LED lights, either invisible near infrared (NIR) or visible red infrared (RI). No one is entirely sure what these lights do in the human body, but scientists believe they penetrate our cells, activating the mitochondria, our cells’ power plant. Energizing these mitochondrion make cells healthier, encouraging repair processes.NASA started studying artificial light therapy in the 1980s and the research has increased in recent years with improvements in LED light technology. Anecdotal and scientifically gathered data links NIR and RI to all kinds of health and healing benefits, but the research is limited in scale, says Brent Bauer, research director for the Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.“We’re still waiting for reliable, large-scale studies to validate some of these claims,” he says. “Until we have some good-quality studies that evaluate both the efficacy and safety of these new devices, caution is prudent.”He does acknowledge NIR and RI light are different than the kind of skin-damaging energy used in tanning beds or solar UV rays. Used moderately, there are few side effects or risks associated with infrared light devices.Weighed against the growing list of benefits, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of the options available. Here are the top options to consider. More

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      Eat This Exact Fruit-to-Vegetable Ratio Every Day to Live Longer

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      It’s no secret eating five servings of fruits and vegetables is a boon for your overall health and well-being. We’ve known that for years. But it’s always been a little vague in terms of the breakdown. In a new study from the American Heart Association, published in Circulation, there’s actually an optimal ratio of fruits to vegetables that can help you live longer.

      Turns out two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables is the sweet spot. The study was based on health data, including dietary feedback, from more than 100,000 people over 30 years. Those results were combined with data on fruit and vegetable intake in corroboration with death from 26 international studies representing 1.9 million people.
      Analysis of the combined studies associated five servings of produce each day with the lowest risk of death. Interestingly, eating more than five servings did not provide additional benefits. The study found some powerful numbers that back up their findings. For example, participants who had a “5-a-day” diet had a 13 percent lower risk of death from all causes, a 12 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, a 10 percent lower risk of death from cancer, and a 35 percent lower risk of death from respiratory disease.

      Of course, the diet only works if you follow it. But, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one in 10 adults eat enough fruits and vegetables. So, if you want to live a little longer, spend some more time in the produce section. And, just to be clear, the researchers pointed out that fruit juices and starchy vegetables such as peas, corn, and potatoes should not count toward your five servings (sorry).

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      Tony Horton's New Supplement Line Might Be the Secret to Building Muscle Over 60

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      Unless you were a hardcore convert, you probably know Tony Horton from the frenetic commercials that came out in the late aughts. The ones where he’s hawking his workout series in a dark room full of sweaty, shredded people. His 90-day “extreme” workouts presaged the era of high-intensity exercise programs (think: CrossFit and F45 Training) and helped thousands of people experience what a truly grueling workout can do for you, mentally and physically.

      Now, a bit older and a little humbled by recent illnesses, he’s back with a new line of supplements called Power Life. These heavily researched formulations helped him bounce back into almost-P90X shape, and he hopes they can help you achieve your fitness goals too, no matter your age. The line-up includes protein powders, wellness supplements, digestive aids, endurance and performance boosters, and a lean-muscle builder.
      We recently talked to Horton about his new line and what he has in store for the future of his fitness empire.

      Men’s Journal: After over a decade of success with your P90X workout program, you recently went through some pretty bad health issues. What was that like for you?
      Tony Horton: I got Ramsay Hunt [syndrome] about three years ago, in October 2017. I got really sick, lost about 25 pounds, then it took about six months for me to come out of that. I got shingles in my ear. One out of 100,000 people who get shingles, get it in their ear—and those people usually get Ramsay Hunt syndrome. [It] just describes the inability to walk and it affects smell, taste, vision, hearing, and balance. There are a lot of nerves that go into my brain that got fried—the fifth, sixth, and seventh facial nerves—so I had Bell’s palsy for about a month. I had terrible balance issues, nausea, vomiting, couldn’t eat, couldn’t drive, couldn’t work out, couldn’t get out of bed. It was just horrible.
      Courtesy ImageThat sounds like a nightmare—especially for someone so fit and active like yourself.
      It’s not fun… It goes on for weeks and weeks and weeks. And a lot of people who aren’t physically fit become recluse because the after-effects of Ramsay Hunt syndrome include something called bilateral vestibular hypofunction, which is vertigo that lasts forever for a lot of people who get it.
      Aside from overcoming this illness, what spurred you to create a supplement line?
      When I left Beachbody [who helped develop P90X with Horton], I was looking for new ventures. I always wanted my own supplement line for some of the things I thought I was missing. And as somebody who was getting older, it was [starting to get] really difficult to maintain my muscle mass. So I met with a great team of scientists and I explained my situation—that I still struggle with bouts of vestibular hypofunction that will probably never go away. I said, ‘What can you guys formulate for me to get me feeling better?’ There are a lot of boomers, which is what I am at 62 years old, that all suffer from sarcopenia—age-related muscle loss. It’s very hard to find a 75-year-old body builder because muscle mass is hard to maintain.

      Courtesy Image
      Did they create a solution?
      It was really a combination of looking at the research, seeing where the issues were, then looking at the formulations out there. [Most supplements] are subpar and don’t really do what they say. We started out with just whey and plant-based protein powders first. Studies were showing people weren’t getting enough decent protein. And this one formula they put in both the whey and plant-based proteins—with HMB [hydroxymethylbutyrate], vitamin D, and chromium—had made a huge difference in studies for people coming out of surgery and struggling with maintaining their muscle mass and strength. HMB and vitamin D help boost something called leucine. Leucine is one of the branched-chain amino acids, which is an important part of muscle building. These studies were done in older folks—older than me—who were coming out of surgery—and their recovery times were shortened by a ton. I remember when I first met with them, I was like, ‘Come on, is this for real?’ These were studies from very reputable places, so I thought, what happens if I actually started to really exercise hard too? I said, ‘Hey, I’ll be your guinea pig. Before we do anything, let me just try this stuff out.’ And it made a huge difference for me, especially after my illness. I was getting strong again.

      Courtesy Image
      Did you start to see and feel a difference?
      After a ski day in Jackson Hole, I was looking in the mirror going, holy crap, man—this was after taking it for two months. And I posted a picture, and I just was amazed. I definitely looked more jacked. I had gone up and stayed up in weight, and it was obviously some muscle weight. I noticed a difference in the gym and on the slopes. I’m not going to lie to you, I was in the gym working out three days a week, and I was skiing four or five days a week. I was also at altitude and running around town, but when I usually do that, I have to take days off of skiing. I get tired and I can’t perform as well in the gym. But I had this protein powder with me, going back and forth between the whey and the plant-based.
      Do you still take the protein powder regularly?
      Every day, without fail. Sometimes before and after exercising because my workout schedule changes. If I have an early 7 or 7:30 a.m. workout, I’ll just do the pre-workout formula and maybe a little creatine. If I’m doing cardio—I don’t do the creatine of course—I’ll have it immediately after the workout. And then days where I have a workout scheduled later, I’ll start those days with a bigger protein smoothie with blueberry, strawberries, pecans, walnuts, ice cubes, unsweetened flax seed milk, and protein powder.

      What other supplements did you develop to specifically address your problems?
      Based on some blood work, I found out I had a leaky gut. I didn’t even know what that was until I found out I had it. So we made Foundation Four, which is a great formula to help me deal with that. It’s a combination of prebiotics, probiotics, magnesium, fiber, and two servings of vegetables. From there we just keep on growing and got a great pre-workout formula called Performance, which has low amounts of caffeine—it doesn’t make you feel jittery and jacked up, which a lot of pre-workout formulas do.
      What else is in store for an aging-but-dedicated-to-fitness Tony Horton?
      Power Nation, a streaming fitness platform based on 90-day programs. We went through the first beta group with about 1,500 people from around the world, which was cool. We got really great feedback from different people and we completed Beta One. Now we’re in the middle of Beta Two. This is the start. There are four components, called the Power of Four. So it’s food, fitness, mindfulness, and supplementation—these are the four things I try to emphasize. We have mastermind groups, coaching offers, cooking videos, and live workouts. Those focus around dumbbells, bands, and a pullup bar. If you don’t have a pullup bar, which I know a lot of people don’t, we come up with alternatives. I also shot my first five workouts with Tonal back in October of last year. And now I’m in rehearsals this week and shooting next week for six more, which is really a blast. That’s keeping me pretty busy right now. I got rid of a bunch of [home gym] stuff I don’t need any more because Tonal does everything. The arms go every possible direction imaginable. So you can do goblet squats, biceps curls, military press, and triceps kickbacks…it’s just an amazing piece of technology. It’s something you think would have come out in 2050, and it’s already here.

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      Can WHOOP Strap 3.0 Replace a Personal Trainer?

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      This article was produced in partnership with WHOOP. 
      We’re hardwired to think getting fitter, faster, and stronger requires high-octane efforts all the time. If you’re not limping around post-leg day, it’s not contributing to your gains. If you’re not gassed by the end of your runs, you won’t hit a personal best. But if there’s one thing you should work toward in 2021, it’s training smarter. With a wearable like WHOOP Strap 3.0, you can monopolize your health and fitness data to see how your daily workout intensity in conjunction with work and life stress impacts your body’s ability to recover. It’s like having a personal trainer on your wrist.
      WHOOP Strap 3.0 Courtesy Image
      How WHOOP Measures Daily Strain and Recovery
      WHOOP scientists pored over a million different days of “Strain” and “Recovery” metrics from users to see exactly how they impacted peoples’ heart rate variability (HRV) the following day. Quick primer: HRV measures fluctuations in time between heartbeats. At rest, it can swing between, say, 55 and 65 beats per minute, since inhaling speeds up your heart rate while exhaling slows it down. A lower HRV means your body is struggling to handle stress and fatigue, while a higher HRV means your body is well-equipped to handle exertion. Since heart rate is the only objective measure of recovery, it’s WHOOP’s main deciding factor in how intensely you should be training on a day-to-day basis. To help users discern data, WHOOP scientists created the Strain metric to quantify overall stress put on your body. Based on your recovery each morning, WHOOP provides a target strain goal based on what your body is signaling it can handle for the day.

      Now that’s not to say you always want to be in the green. If you’re training for a triathlon, you’re likely going to have training blocks of intense exercise where you’re overreaching, in which you’re prioritizing fitness gains over full recovery. That’s necessary for your short-term goal. When you near race day, you’ll taper and enter a restoring phase to help your body recuperate before the big event. That’s also necessary for your short-term goal; if it’s a long-term pattern, however, you’ll begin to detrain and lose endurance and/or muscle mass, depending on what you’ve been training for. Likewise, if you’re hitting your max effort every single day, without taking time to fully recover, that can culminate in overtraining, injury, and exhaustion.
      On the app, there are two rings that indicate your strain and recovery for the day—a quick overview of your insights. Bigger efforts can be anywhere from a 14-19+ on the Strain scale, and it’s indicated as a blue line that inches closer to being “completed” depending on how close you get to your target strain (again, everything is relative; it’s not necessarily good or bad to hit the max). Your recovery is similarly presented as a circle within your Strain ring, although it’s color-coded to reflect the above Training Zones. Toggle to Strain, Recovery, and Sleep for a deeper dive into your analytics for the day and month (shown below).
      WHOOP app insights Courtesy of Brittany Smith
      Because WHOOP is combining yesterday’s Strain metrics with the night’s duration and quality of sleep, some athletes can naturally perform at a higher caliber—clocking more workouts at a higher intensity without teetering into the Overreaching zone if they’re also prioritizing optimal recovery. Sleep recharges your body. It regulates growth hormone to help build and repair muscle by healing those microtears caused during exercise; and regulates cortisol, the stress hormone, which can lead to inflammation in the body and inhibit recovery.

      WHOOP Strap 3.0 Courtesy Image
      Can a Strap Replace a Personal Trainer? It Can—If You Know How to Leverage Your WHOOP Data
      1. Do a Deep Dive Into Your Recovery
      When most individuals work with personal trainers, they’re not always honest about their diet, stress, sleeping habits, and how much they drink throughout the week. But WHOOP provides a subjective view of how your body is faring internally in ways a personal trainer could never infer. Based on recovery, having a target strain goal makes it easier to understand when you should aim to have a more intense workout or focus on rest and active recovery. The app creates a holistic picture that connects the dots between data and lifestyle behaviors so you can draw parallels and uncover what’s hindering your recovery.
      For example, in the monthly performance assessment (you can look over the year too), WHOOP breaks down your quality of sleep over the last 30 days. If your restorative sleep is on a downward trend, make a concerted effort to close the gap between the sleep you’re getting and what your body optimally needs. A coach or trainer would tell you to perfect your sleep hygiene, but won’t know what that means for you. Look at your nightly journal. If alcohol is wrecking your recovery, rethink how and when you drink. Maybe you save the beers for your recovery day, rather than the night before a strenuous workout. (Also check out these science-backed natural sleep aids experts swear by.) Take sleep as seriously as you do your workouts, and you’ll unlock new levels of athletic potential.
      2. Use Strain to Measure Stress in and out of Training
      Most wearables track calories, steps, distance, and pace. But workouts impact us all differently based on how fit we are and our body’s ability to perform. With the Strain metric, WHOOP helps quantify how strenuous your workout and day is based on your fitness level. For example, running a 5K for an advanced runner might register as a light strain of 7-9, but it might be closer to a 14-17 for someone new to running. The distance is still the same, but the effort required from the body is different in each case. WHOOP is unique in that it helps quantify this type of stress on an individual level. You’ll learn which of those are true for you by clocking different types of workouts at varying intensities and durations.
      3. Take Actionable Strides From Journal Findings
      The great thing about the app is it gives you the chance to journal. In the morning, you’ll indicate if you consumed caffeine (how much and when), alcohol (how much), took prescription sleep medicine, viewed a screened device before falling asleep (how long), read a book, and shared your bed with a partner. If you find too much coffee late in the day keeps you up, scale back or cut yourself off at noon. If you find your smartphone or laptop is making it harder to fall asleep, nix the electronics an hour before bed. The WHOOP Strap 3.0 and app are less fixated on hitting arbitrary goals like getting in 10,000 steps, and more focused on interpreting empirical data. Make parallels. If you’re able to fall asleep faster when you listen to a meditation before bed, make it a nightly habit.
      4. Lean In to Heart Rate Variability
      When your HRV increases, indicating you’re more recovered, you can engage in more demanding sessions, which can be longer in duration or higher in intensity. Likewise, when HRV decreases, you can prioritize low-intensity sessions. Studies have shown this type of intuitive programming yields greater fitness gains than following a fixed program that doesn’t factor in your individual needs. This is where WHOOP outshines a personal trainer. Your coach might have a specific order of workouts for the week that might not be the most conducive to your fitness gains. However, WHOOP can help you fine-tune your training programs to prevent burnout via HRV. As gym culture drastically shifts, putting more of the onus into our hands, isn’t it time you take greater autonomy over your health and fitness? WHOOP thinks so—and we agree.

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      Gifts for Men: 20 Big-Ticket Items to Splurge On

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      Gifts for men can be tricky. Do you want it to be utilitarian, meaningful, personalized, or just plain cool? Some might argue the perfect gift is a combination of them all. In any case, if you’re shopping for big-ticket items that have a certain wow factor, buckle up. We have 20 epic items worth splurging on, perfect for friends, brothers, dads, partners, or even yourself.

      Of all the times to treat yourself, now certainly seems like a good one. From gadgets for amateur astronomers to wellness devices to quell anxiety from a world on fire, we’ve got the best gifts for men across tech, fitness, outdoor gear, and more.

      TCL 6-SERIES 4K ROKU TV Courtesy Image
      1. TCL 6-SERIES 4K ROKU TV
      He’s been streaming a lot of MasterClass, Acorn, and discovery+ as of late—along with the regular mix of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Enhance his viewing experience with this beautifully designed set that includes Roku’s voice control, thousands of micro-meter class mini-LED backlights for a stunning picture, and access to 250,000+ free movies and TV episodes through Roku’s built-in OS. Considering TCL/Roku has won several awards in 2021 already, you can feel confident the brand lives up to the hype.
      [From $700; amazon.com]
      Get itHammerhead Karoo 2 Courtesy Image
      2. Hammerhead Karoo 2
      Karoo 2 is a newcomer, but billed as the cycling computer Tour de France winners use. It’s smaller than industry competitors’ but boasts an impressive slew of features like high-resolution mapping, performance data visualization, navigation capabilities, and regular updates When pre-sales were available last fall, the gadget sold out in days, so cyclists should add this to their toolkit ASAP. You know, before investor Lance Armstrong and Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adam tell all their friends. More

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      The Weird Way Coffee Can Make an All-Nighter Worse

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      Maybe you were up every other hour with your newborn, or you pulled an all-nighter for the company’s annual report. Or maybe you just spent the night tossing and turning for no good reason. Whatever the case, when your alarm goes off at 6 a.m., you need help or you’ll never make it through the day. Instinctively, you brew yourself a cup of coffee—nature’s perfect antidote to feeling like death warmed over. But it turns out, while it may give your system a jolt, it’s weighing pretty heavy on your long-term health.

       
      A report in the British Journal of Nutrition found that a night of poor sleep followed by a morning cup of black coffee caused blood sugar levels to spike 50 percent in otherwise young and healthy study participants. One suspected reason: Caffeine may contribute to insulin resistance, says lead study author Harry Smith at the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism at the University of Bath in the UK.

      “Caffeine has a negative impact on sensors in our muscles that help the muscle take glucose out of the blood, hence why we saw the elevated blood glucose in the coffee condition,” he explains.
      Since high blood sugar is the first step toward diabetes and other heart issues, it’s best to avoid it. One solution, suggests Smith, is to drink your coffee after breakfast, rather than before, which can help negate some of the effects of caffeine on blood glucose control.
      Another fix: “Physical activity is a great way to control blood glucose levels and it is entirely possible that some morning exercise could be enough to negate the effect of caffeine on blood sugar levels as well,” he says, also noting that moderate coffee consumption has been linked with other positive health effects so there’s no reason to ditch the java entirely, especially if you pull an all-nighter.

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      Binge-Drinkers Have a Harder Time Feeling Empathy

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      A glass of wine may be good for your ticker, but too much booze can damage your heart in a more metaphorical manner: Researchers at the University of Sussex in England found that binge-drinking (defined as drinking three-quarters to a bottle of wine at once) impedes people’s ability to empathize with another person’s pain.

       
      To study this, the scientists monitored brain activity in binge-drinkers (sober at the time) and non-binge-drinkers as they were shown images of an injured body part and asked to rate the pain experienced by a person with this injury. It took binge-drinkers longer to respond, they perceived the pain to be minimal, and the areas of their brains responsible for feelings like empathy lit up on the screen—suggesting binge-drinkers have to work overtime to imagine someone else’s angst.

      Why does binge-drinking mess with your ability to tune into other people’s feelings? “During a binge-drinking episode, large amounts of alcohol enter the brain within a limited time period, followed by a period of no drinking—as opposed to regular drinking in which a person might consume similar weekly amounts of alcohol, but without the extremes of intoxication and withdrawal,” says study author Dora Duka, M.D., Ph.D.

      Tthese swings in alcohol levels appear to cause dysfunction in part of the brain. “The pattern of binge-drinking seems to poison the brain both during intoxication and during withdrawal.”
      Bottom line: Go steady on the booze and practice moderation.

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