If I exercise and take antioxidant supplements, I’ll be superfi t
Working out leads to more oxidation and an
increase in free radicals. That’s not a bad thing.
“Since free-radical production is a normal
response to exercise, taking a large dose of
antioxidants right after a workout could interfere
with the natural, benefi cial response to
exercise,” says nutritionist Alan Aragon, M.S.,
a Men’s Health weight-loss expert. The logic is
unexpected but clear: Scientists speculate that
the oxidative stress triggered by exercise promotes
insulin sensitivity and weight loss, and
possibly reduces your risk of diabetes.
Case in point: A 2009 German study found
that when exercisers took antioxidant supplements
(vitamins C and E), they weren’t
rewarded with the typical postexercise boost
in insulin sensitivity. So much for that wellintentioned
antioxidant-fortifi ed recovery
drink. Michael Ristow, M.D., an author of the
study and chairman of the department of
human nutrition at the University of Jena,
Germany, speculates that other antioxidant
supplements might have similar negative
eff ects, though more study is needed.
Supplements can even sap your power:
A 2006 British study found that runners who
took 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily for a
week lost muscle strength.
Do this If you’re exercising to lose weight,
your antioxidants should come from whole
foods, not from supplements or antioxidantenhanced
food products. When it comes to
antioxidants, more isn’t always better.
Antioxidant-fortifi ed foods are healthier
Antioxidant-fortifi ed foods are healthier
The ink was barely dry on early antioxidant
studies when food companies started slapping
the A-word on their packaging. You can
even chug an antioxidant-fortifi ed version
of Cherry 7UP. The FDA requires food manufacturers
to list the variety of antioxidant
in a product; that part is often in fi ne print.
Look closely, and the label reveals that you’re
receiving a tiny helping of vitamin E. Perhaps
“Cherry 7UP Vitamin E” didn’t sound
as impressive.
If you’re relying on processed foods to supplement
your antioxidant intake, you may be
surprised to fi nd that many processed foods
have relatively small amounts of just one or two
kinds. Since variety is critical, you probably
aren’t making up for lost ground.
Do this Ignore the hype—there’s no research
to prove that packaged products provide the
same health benefi ts that whole foods do.
Instead, focus on the ingredient list. If a food
product contains mostly plant foods, it’s likely
to be rich in antioxidants.
The ink was barely dry on early antioxidant
studies when food companies started slapping
the A-word on their packaging. You can
even chug an antioxidant-fortifi ed version
of Cherry 7UP. The FDA requires food manufacturers
to list the variety of antioxidant
in a product; that part is often in fi ne print.
Look closely, and the label reveals that you’re
receiving a tiny helping of vitamin E. Perhaps
“Cherry 7UP Vitamin E” didn’t sound
as impressive.
If you’re relying on processed foods to supplement
your antioxidant intake, you may be
surprised to fi nd that many processed foods
have relatively small amounts of just one or two
kinds. Since variety is critical, you probably
aren’t making up for lost ground.
Do this Ignore the hype—there’s no research
to prove that packaged products provide the
same health benefi ts that whole foods do.
Instead, focus on the ingredient list. If a food
product contains mostly plant foods, it’s likely
to be rich in antioxidants.
All antioxidants come from fruits and vegetables
All antioxidants come from fruits and vegetables
The entire plant kingdom—including beans,
nuts, seeds, and grains—is awash in antioxidants,
according to a recent study from the
University of Scranton. That’s because all
plants produce antioxidants to fi ght against
predators and UV rays, says Vinson. It’s
important to steer clear of refi ned grains,
though; they’ve been stripped of most of their
antioxidant benefi ts.
Even meat, dairy products, and eggs contain
some antioxidants, which mainly come from
the nutrient-rich plants the animals fed on.
Do this Eat whole-grain foods, beans, nuts,
and seeds regularly. When animals are on
the menu, make sure they’ve been grass-fed;
meat and dairy products from these betterfed
beasts have been shown to contain higher
levels of antioxidants. Eggs from pastured
hens also rank higher in anti oxidants—look
for them at farmers’ markets.
The entire plant kingdom—including beans,
nuts, seeds, and grains—is awash in antioxidants,
according to a recent study from the
University of Scranton. That’s because all
plants produce antioxidants to fi ght against
predators and UV rays, says Vinson. It’s
important to steer clear of refi ned grains,
though; they’ve been stripped of most of their
antioxidant benefi ts.
Even meat, dairy products, and eggs contain
some antioxidants, which mainly come from
the nutrient-rich plants the animals fed on.
Do this Eat whole-grain foods, beans, nuts,
and seeds regularly. When animals are on
the menu, make sure they’ve been grass-fed;
meat and dairy products from these betterfed
beasts have been shown to contain higher
levels of antioxidants. Eggs from pastured
hens also rank higher in anti oxidants—look
for them at farmers’ markets.
All antioxidants are created equal
All antioxidants are created equal
Any molecule that protects your cells against
oxidation is technically an antioxidant, says
Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry at
the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania.
“They’re anti-oxidation.” This includes familiar
nutrients, like vitamins, as well as more unfamiliar
types of antioxidants, like fl avonoids
and polyphenols—about 8,000 varieties in all.
But don’t assume that all antioxidants
operate the same way, Blumberg warns. “You
can’t say, ‘Well, I’m not going to worry about
taking in enough vitamin E, because I take
lots of vitamin C.’ All the vitamin C in the
world won’t substitute for vitamin E,” says
Blumberg. Some antioxidants excel at fi ghting
certain types of free radicals (yep, there are
diff erent varieties of those, too) while others
are eff ective only in specifi c parts of a cell.
Still others can battle free radicals only under
the right conditions.
“Think of antioxidants as an army,” he says.
“You need generals, lieutenants, corporals,
privates, and others with specifi c duties. You
can’t fi ght an enemy with only generals.” So
how do you create an eff ective defense system
The Truth about Antioxidants
in the battle for your life? By building a multipronged
counteroff ensive—er, diet.
Do this Branch out and try something new in
the produce aisle. In a 2006 study, researchers
at Colorado State University found that people
who ate the widest variety of fruits and vegetables
had the most DNA protection.
Any molecule that protects your cells against
oxidation is technically an antioxidant, says
Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry at
the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania.
“They’re anti-oxidation.” This includes familiar
nutrients, like vitamins, as well as more unfamiliar
types of antioxidants, like fl avonoids
and polyphenols—about 8,000 varieties in all.
But don’t assume that all antioxidants
operate the same way, Blumberg warns. “You
can’t say, ‘Well, I’m not going to worry about
taking in enough vitamin E, because I take
lots of vitamin C.’ All the vitamin C in the
world won’t substitute for vitamin E,” says
Blumberg. Some antioxidants excel at fi ghting
certain types of free radicals (yep, there are
diff erent varieties of those, too) while others
are eff ective only in specifi c parts of a cell.
Still others can battle free radicals only under
the right conditions.
“Think of antioxidants as an army,” he says.
“You need generals, lieutenants, corporals,
privates, and others with specifi c duties. You
can’t fi ght an enemy with only generals.” So
how do you create an eff ective defense system
The Truth about Antioxidants
in the battle for your life? By building a multipronged
counteroff ensive—er, diet.
Do this Branch out and try something new in
the produce aisle. In a 2006 study, researchers
at Colorado State University found that people
who ate the widest variety of fruits and vegetables
had the most DNA protection.
The Truth about Antioxidants
The Truth about Antioxidants
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 anti oxidants
actually are. And food manufacturers are fi ne
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 fi ght 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 benefi t, we
fi rst have to strip away some assumptions.
Myth #1
Free radicals must be destroyed
Not so fast
The basics: Antioxidants fi ght free radicals,
which are unstable molecules in the body that
can cause DNA mutation. Even though free
radicals have been linked to serious conditions
like heart disease, Parkinson’s, and cancer, they
aren’t necessarily villains—they’re by-products
of a basic metabolic process called oxidation.
“They’re absolutely essential to life,” says
Jeff rey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the antioxidants
lab at Tufts University. “For example,
immune cells will shoot free radicals onto
invading bacteria in order to kill them. They’re
an important part of the body’s defenses.”
Too many free radicals, on the other hand,
are harmful. Pollutants, cigarette smoke, and
sun overexposure can generate so many free
radicals that your normal antioxidant defenses
become overwhelmed, leaving you vulnerable
to cell damage and disease. Some researchers
also link free-radical oxidation with aging.
That’s where antioxidants come in. “We
need to make sure we have adequate antioxidant
defenses to combat all the excess free
radicals,” says Blumberg.
Do this Assuming you’ve curbed bad habits
such as smoking and excessive tanning, turn
to your diet. If you eat a wide variety of fruits
and vegetables, your diet is naturally rich in thousands of antioxidants. Studies suggest
eating at least fi ve servings of fruits and vegetables
a day to reap the most health benefi ts.
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 anti oxidants
actually are. And food manufacturers are fi ne
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 fi ght 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 benefi t, we
fi rst have to strip away some assumptions.
Myth #1
Free radicals must be destroyed
Not so fast
The basics: Antioxidants fi ght free radicals,
which are unstable molecules in the body that
can cause DNA mutation. Even though free
radicals have been linked to serious conditions
like heart disease, Parkinson’s, and cancer, they
aren’t necessarily villains—they’re by-products
of a basic metabolic process called oxidation.
“They’re absolutely essential to life,” says
Jeff rey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the antioxidants
lab at Tufts University. “For example,
immune cells will shoot free radicals onto
invading bacteria in order to kill them. They’re
an important part of the body’s defenses.”
Too many free radicals, on the other hand,
are harmful. Pollutants, cigarette smoke, and
sun overexposure can generate so many free
radicals that your normal antioxidant defenses
become overwhelmed, leaving you vulnerable
to cell damage and disease. Some researchers
also link free-radical oxidation with aging.
That’s where antioxidants come in. “We
need to make sure we have adequate antioxidant
defenses to combat all the excess free
radicals,” says Blumberg.
Do this Assuming you’ve curbed bad habits
such as smoking and excessive tanning, turn
to your diet. If you eat a wide variety of fruits
and vegetables, your diet is naturally rich in thousands of antioxidants. Studies suggest
eating at least fi ve servings of fruits and vegetables
a day to reap the most health benefi ts.
Sleep hormone: Melatonin
Sleep hormone: Melatonin
When the sun goes down, your pineal gland
switches on like clockwork to secrete melatonin,
a hormone that helps you fall asleep
and regulates your circadian rhythm. It lowers
your core body temperature, which if too
high promotes wakefulness. Production of
melatonin peaks in the middle of the night,
and the process can be disrupted by even
very low levels of artifi cial light.
Are your hormones in tune? Mounting evidence
suggests that exposure to light at
night—whether you’re asleep or awake—
might play a crucial role in cancer, diabetes,
and obesity. The World Health Organization
classifi ed “circadian disruption” as probably
carcinogenic, and light at night is considered
by some to be an endocrine disruptor
that may aff ect melatonin, cortisol, ghrelin,
leptin, and testosterone. “Most people
think, and the drug companies want you to
think, that waking up at night is bad for
you,” says Richard Stevens, Ph.D., a cancer
epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut
health center. But that’s not the
case, he says—it’s exposure to light at night
that’s the problem. “If you wake up at night,
as most of us do, that is a period of quiet
wakefulness—stay in bed, in the dark, and
enjoy it,” Stevens suggests.
You don’t have to be asleep to have good
melatonin rhythm, but you do need to be in
the dark. Buy heavy curtains, cover your
alarm clock, and turn off gadgets. “Make it
dark enough that you can’t see your hand,”
Stevens says. “If you go to the bathroom and
turn on that bright light, you’ll lower melatonin
almost immediately,” says Stevens. “I
actually have a red night-light in my bathroom,
because red light has less eff ect on melatonin
than white or blue light,” he says.
When the sun goes down, your pineal gland
switches on like clockwork to secrete melatonin,
a hormone that helps you fall asleep
and regulates your circadian rhythm. It lowers
your core body temperature, which if too
high promotes wakefulness. Production of
melatonin peaks in the middle of the night,
and the process can be disrupted by even
very low levels of artifi cial light.
Are your hormones in tune? Mounting evidence
suggests that exposure to light at
night—whether you’re asleep or awake—
might play a crucial role in cancer, diabetes,
and obesity. The World Health Organization
classifi ed “circadian disruption” as probably
carcinogenic, and light at night is considered
by some to be an endocrine disruptor
that may aff ect melatonin, cortisol, ghrelin,
leptin, and testosterone. “Most people
think, and the drug companies want you to
think, that waking up at night is bad for
you,” says Richard Stevens, Ph.D., a cancer
epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut
health center. But that’s not the
case, he says—it’s exposure to light at night
that’s the problem. “If you wake up at night,
as most of us do, that is a period of quiet
wakefulness—stay in bed, in the dark, and
enjoy it,” Stevens suggests.
You don’t have to be asleep to have good
melatonin rhythm, but you do need to be in
the dark. Buy heavy curtains, cover your
alarm clock, and turn off gadgets. “Make it
dark enough that you can’t see your hand,”
Stevens says. “If you go to the bathroom and
turn on that bright light, you’ll lower melatonin
almost immediately,” says Stevens. “I
actually have a red night-light in my bathroom,
because red light has less eff ect on melatonin
than white or blue light,” he says.
Energy hormone: Thyroxine
Energy hormone: Thyroxine
Your thyroid gland controls your metabolism,
which is your body’s mechanism for
turning calories into energy. It’s yet another
chain of command: Your hypothalamus
detects fatigue and then your pituitary gland
signals your thyroid to secrete thyroxine.
This hormone enters almost every cell in
your body. “It boosts sugar burning and oxygen
intake in cells,” says McLachlan. “This
raises your body temperature and increases
your heart rate.”
Are your hormones in tune? When this system
is out of whack, the result can be muscle
breakdown, weakness, fatigue, and weight
gain. While most thyroxine disruptions are
genetic, there is growing evidence that some
environmental compounds can block thyroxine,
says McLachlan. A 2009 study suggests
that BPA can displace thyroxin from its
receptor and block it. Brominated fl ame
retardants (BFRs) and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) also both interfere with
your thyroid. (BFRs are found in clothes, furniture,
and electronics; PCBs, which are no
longer in use in the United States, can still be
found in the environment, particularly in
farmed salmon.) “If you’re exposed to these,
you could end up with a form of hypothyroidism—
an underproduction of thyroxine that
causes low energy and weight gain,” says
McLachlan. On the other end of the spectrum,
hyperthyroidism, or overproduction of
thyroxine, can cause anxiety, increased heart
rate, weight loss, an enlarged thyroid, and
swelling behind the eyes. Your doctor will be
able to identify thyroid problems by prescribing
a thyroid-stimulating hormone
(TSH) blood test; fi xes for both may include
surgery or dietary changes, as well as lifelong
daily doses of prescription drugs.
Your thyroid gland controls your metabolism,
which is your body’s mechanism for
turning calories into energy. It’s yet another
chain of command: Your hypothalamus
detects fatigue and then your pituitary gland
signals your thyroid to secrete thyroxine.
This hormone enters almost every cell in
your body. “It boosts sugar burning and oxygen
intake in cells,” says McLachlan. “This
raises your body temperature and increases
your heart rate.”
Are your hormones in tune? When this system
is out of whack, the result can be muscle
breakdown, weakness, fatigue, and weight
gain. While most thyroxine disruptions are
genetic, there is growing evidence that some
environmental compounds can block thyroxine,
says McLachlan. A 2009 study suggests
that BPA can displace thyroxin from its
receptor and block it. Brominated fl ame
retardants (BFRs) and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) also both interfere with
your thyroid. (BFRs are found in clothes, furniture,
and electronics; PCBs, which are no
longer in use in the United States, can still be
found in the environment, particularly in
farmed salmon.) “If you’re exposed to these,
you could end up with a form of hypothyroidism—
an underproduction of thyroxine that
causes low energy and weight gain,” says
McLachlan. On the other end of the spectrum,
hyperthyroidism, or overproduction of
thyroxine, can cause anxiety, increased heart
rate, weight loss, an enlarged thyroid, and
swelling behind the eyes. Your doctor will be
able to identify thyroid problems by prescribing
a thyroid-stimulating hormone
(TSH) blood test; fi xes for both may include
surgery or dietary changes, as well as lifelong
daily doses of prescription drugs.
Sex hormones: Testosterone, LH, FSH
Sex hormones: Testosterone, LH, FSH
That rock-hard erection you’re so proud of?
Thank your hormones—specifi cally, testosterone,
the key ingredient for normal sexual
health in men. Its production is prompted by something called luteinizing hormone (LH),
while the follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH) helps produce the actual sperm.
When you’re aroused, your adrenal glands
pump out epinephrine and norepinephrine,
raising your heart rate and moving blood
into your muscles, brain, and penis. Then
the hormone dopamine increases your sexual
appetite and communicates with the
hypo thalamus to orchestrate your erections.
Are your hormones in tune? Elevated estrogen
levels can eclipse your testosterone, zapping
sex drive. Yes, men have estrogen too. “In
fact, the most widely spread hormone receptor
in the body is the estrogen receptor,” says
McLachlan. When a man is exposed to estrogenic
chemicals—such as bisphenol A (BPA),
the endocrine disruptor found in plastics and
food-can linings—he can experience erectile
dysfunction and weight gain.
Your best defense against an estrogen
invasion is to lose weight and build muscle.
“Fat converts your testosterone to estrogen,”
says Jack Mydlo, M.D., chairman of the
department of urology at Temple
University school of medicine.
Dropping
pounds will
improve your
testosterone-to-estrogen
ratio, which improves your sex
drive as well as your erections. And when
you’re actively building muscle, you become
more sensitive to insulin, which means you
can push more glucose into the muscle, says
Dr. Fonseca. This produces more fat-burning,
libido-boosting energy.
That rock-hard erection you’re so proud of?
Thank your hormones—specifi cally, testosterone,
the key ingredient for normal sexual
health in men. Its production is prompted by something called luteinizing hormone (LH),
while the follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH) helps produce the actual sperm.
When you’re aroused, your adrenal glands
pump out epinephrine and norepinephrine,
raising your heart rate and moving blood
into your muscles, brain, and penis. Then
the hormone dopamine increases your sexual
appetite and communicates with the
hypo thalamus to orchestrate your erections.
Are your hormones in tune? Elevated estrogen
levels can eclipse your testosterone, zapping
sex drive. Yes, men have estrogen too. “In
fact, the most widely spread hormone receptor
in the body is the estrogen receptor,” says
McLachlan. When a man is exposed to estrogenic
chemicals—such as bisphenol A (BPA),
the endocrine disruptor found in plastics and
food-can linings—he can experience erectile
dysfunction and weight gain.
Your best defense against an estrogen
invasion is to lose weight and build muscle.
“Fat converts your testosterone to estrogen,”
says Jack Mydlo, M.D., chairman of the
department of urology at Temple
University school of medicine.
Dropping
pounds will
improve your
testosterone-to-estrogen
ratio, which improves your sex
drive as well as your erections. And when
you’re actively building muscle, you become
more sensitive to insulin, which means you
can push more glucose into the muscle, says
Dr. Fonseca. This produces more fat-burning,
libido-boosting energy.
Your hormones are part of a finely tuned system. That finetuning makes them vulnerable.
Your hormones are part of a finely tuned system. That finetuning makes them vulnerable.
you’re metabolizing a meal and that you
shouldn’t consume any more. Leptin, a hormone
produced by fat cells, also tells your
hypothalamus that you’re full by prompting
the secretion of alpha-MSH, which is another
appetite-suppressing hormone.
All this helps your body maintain a balance
between hunger and satiation. Why so many
hormones in the game? “Energy regulation is
necessary for survival, so we have many
redundant pathways in case any fail,” says
Robert Lustig, M.D., an endocrinologist at the
University of California at San Francisco.
“But we were never supposed to have so
much food so readily available, and certainly
not this much sugar.”
Are your hormones in tune? Hungry? Full?
You may not be able to trust your gut. When
you put on extra weight, you start secreting
excess leptin. “And if you secrete a lot of leptin
on a chronic basis, it should tell your brain,
‘Look, you’re putting on weight; you need to
cut back,’ ” says Dr. Fonseca. But disruptions
in leptin (mostly from too much sugar)
instead tell your brain to send out hunger signals,
even if you’ve just eaten. This can lead
to fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.
“When your insulin goes up, it blocks leptin
signaling, which means your brain thinks
you’re starving,” Dr. Lustig says. This, of
course, sets up a wicked feedback cycle as you
pack on the pounds.
Beyond losing weight, your best defense
against leptin disruption is to reduce your
sugar intake. Americans consume an average
of 22 teaspoons of sugar a day; the American
Heart Association recommends that men eat
no more than 9. And it’s not just high-fructose
corn syrup that you need to avoid; table sugar
and fruit juice can be as bad as soda. In fact,
100 percent fruit juice has 1.8 grams of fructose
per ounce, while soda has 1.7 grams per
ounce, Dr. Lustig notes.
you’re metabolizing a meal and that you
shouldn’t consume any more. Leptin, a hormone
produced by fat cells, also tells your
hypothalamus that you’re full by prompting
the secretion of alpha-MSH, which is another
appetite-suppressing hormone.
All this helps your body maintain a balance
between hunger and satiation. Why so many
hormones in the game? “Energy regulation is
necessary for survival, so we have many
redundant pathways in case any fail,” says
Robert Lustig, M.D., an endocrinologist at the
University of California at San Francisco.
“But we were never supposed to have so
much food so readily available, and certainly
not this much sugar.”
Are your hormones in tune? Hungry? Full?
You may not be able to trust your gut. When
you put on extra weight, you start secreting
excess leptin. “And if you secrete a lot of leptin
on a chronic basis, it should tell your brain,
‘Look, you’re putting on weight; you need to
cut back,’ ” says Dr. Fonseca. But disruptions
in leptin (mostly from too much sugar)
instead tell your brain to send out hunger signals,
even if you’ve just eaten. This can lead
to fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.
“When your insulin goes up, it blocks leptin
signaling, which means your brain thinks
you’re starving,” Dr. Lustig says. This, of
course, sets up a wicked feedback cycle as you
pack on the pounds.
Beyond losing weight, your best defense
against leptin disruption is to reduce your
sugar intake. Americans consume an average
of 22 teaspoons of sugar a day; the American
Heart Association recommends that men eat
no more than 9. And it’s not just high-fructose
corn syrup that you need to avoid; table sugar
and fruit juice can be as bad as soda. In fact,
100 percent fruit juice has 1.8 grams of fructose
per ounce, while soda has 1.7 grams per
ounce, Dr. Lustig notes.
Men Have Hormones Too
YOU MIGHT REMEMBER
hormones from your sexcrazed
teen years. Or your
partner’s most recent crying
jag. But if you’re sitting there
smugly thinking that you’re
immune from hormonal chaos
just because you’re (a) no longer
a teenager and (b) male,
think again. In fact, if you
knew all the ways hormones
could mess up your life, you’d
probably start crying like a little
girl. Off -kilter hormone
distribution can make you
store too much fat, hamper
your ability to fi ght stress, and
cause you to eat when you’re
full. It can lead to metabolic
syndrome and diabetes and
can adversely aff ect your sleep
and sex life.
That’s a lot that can go
wrong. This is due to the
vast reach of your endocrine
system, which commands
body activity utilizing powerful
hormones. “It’s like your
body’s internal Internet,” says
pharmacologist John McLachlan,
Ph.D., director of the
center for bioenvironmental
research at Tulane University.
“Your hypothalamus and
pituitary glands are the control
centers, like servers sending
out messages going back and forth among your organs. Your pancreas,
adrenal glands, thyroid, and testes are all part
of this fi nely tuned system.”
That fi ne-tuning increases the system’s vulnerability,
as it relies on complex feedback to
regulate itself. “If that feedback is distorted, it
can disrupt the process,” says Vivian Fonseca,
M.D., chief of endocrinology at Tulane University’s
health sciences center.
Use our guide to ensure your hormones are
doing their jobs.
Evolution Is Inevitable
Evolution Is Inevitable
For years athletes have trusted their workouts to N.O.-XPLODE™, relying on one
powerful formula to fuel their efforts. But physiques evolve, and so do workout habits.
Therefore, BSN® made sure that the world’s leading pre-training igniter evolved as
well. The all-new N.O.-XPLODE™NT builds on the legacy of the original, igniting both
body and mind and powering you through any performance with unprecedented
intensity. Once you train with it, you will never evolve without it.™
For years athletes have trusted their workouts to N.O.-XPLODE™, relying on one
powerful formula to fuel their efforts. But physiques evolve, and so do workout habits.
Therefore, BSN® made sure that the world’s leading pre-training igniter evolved as
well. The all-new N.O.-XPLODE™NT builds on the legacy of the original, igniting both
body and mind and powering you through any performance with unprecedented
intensity. Once you train with it, you will never evolve without it.™
Barbecue, Rebooted
TALK ABOUT AN OVERACHIEVER. Korean barbecue would be plenty tasty
even in its simplest state—Asian-style, soy-marinated meat, grilled until its
edges become deeply caramelized. But when Korean BBQ hits the table, it
comes with a posse: a greed-satisfying spread of cool vegetable salads, spicy
kimchi, and crisp lettuce that transforms a dose of protein into an all-star
feast. And it all comes together in record time. • “Korean-style barbecue is
so simple and so fl avorful it will change the way you cook,” says Wuchung
Kim, executive chef at Don’s Bogam, in Manhattan’s Koreatown. Start by
steaming rice and prepping the sides, and then turn to the meat. Boneless
beef short rib, a fatty, fl avorful cut, is a classic choice. Kim slices it thin,
massages it with an intense marinade, and grills it until it’s as tender as a
slow-cooked brisket, as full-fl avored as a New York strip, and as satisfying
as a quarter-pound patty. • At the table, the spectrum of sides and toppings
pays off big time. Wrap a piece of meat in a lettuce leaf, and then experiment.
Like it spicy? Add kimchi. Want crunch? Tuck in carrot slices. With Korean
BBQ, you can customize every bite.
I THINK LOVE DIES IN MUCH SAME WAY THAT
I THINK LOVE DIES IN MUCH SAME WAY THAT
a heart does. Over the life of a relationship, all
the little resentments and tiny disappointments
can accumulate like plaque in an artery,
imperceptibly choking out the intimacy—the
lifeblood of any relationship.
As much as I wish I could blame Rose for
that, I can’t. She’s a wonderful person—intelligent,
idealistic, passionate, and devoted to her
children. It would be so much easier for me to
move on if she were a worthless human being.
And unfortunately for her, despite my lengthy
list of faults, I’m a decent enough guy.
No, I think the ultimate cause of our uncoupling
lay not in all the little things we did wrong,
but in the unanticipated eff ects of all the big
things we did right—from falling madly in love
to having kids. That’s why it’s diffi cult to move
on. But understanding this allows me to look
back at the relationship and appreciate its
meaning and beauty, despite its imperfections.
Rose is, and always will be, the best mistake
I ever made.
a heart does. Over the life of a relationship, all
the little resentments and tiny disappointments
can accumulate like plaque in an artery,
imperceptibly choking out the intimacy—the
lifeblood of any relationship.
As much as I wish I could blame Rose for
that, I can’t. She’s a wonderful person—intelligent,
idealistic, passionate, and devoted to her
children. It would be so much easier for me to
move on if she were a worthless human being.
And unfortunately for her, despite my lengthy
list of faults, I’m a decent enough guy.
No, I think the ultimate cause of our uncoupling
lay not in all the little things we did wrong,
but in the unanticipated eff ects of all the big
things we did right—from falling madly in love
to having kids. That’s why it’s diffi cult to move
on. But understanding this allows me to look
back at the relationship and appreciate its
meaning and beauty, despite its imperfections.
Rose is, and always will be, the best mistake
I ever made.
Chaos became our comfort zone
Chaos became our comfort zone
During our family’s year from hell, a brandnew
crisis would arrive at our doorstep every
4 weeks or so. It was almost as if we had inadvertently
enrolled in the tragedy-of-themonth
club. The hypervigilance that sustained
my wife and me through these crises was not
so conducive for relaxed date nights and handholding.
And when the end of the world
becomes your comfort zone, each new crisis is
actually a relief from the stress of worrying
about what will befall you next.
It reached the point where I felt closest to
my wife when we were racing to the hospital
together. That was our date night.
According to Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D., a neuroscientist
and the author of The Emotional
Brain, fear-based memories are encoded in a
part of our brains called the amygdala. So
while my more logical hippocampus and prefrontal
cortex understood that the year from
hell was over—and that my wife was a person
distinct from that horrible experience—the
story was less clear down in my amygdala.
Eventually, posits LeDoux, my wife and I
came to associate each other’s presence with
stressful situations. Not good.
hormonal level. “Men and women do have
‘chemistry,’ ” he says. “A woman gives off pheromones
when she feels taken care of by a man.
What men fail to realize is that on an interpersonal,
chemical level, it’s the small stuff
that really does matter.
“If you want to score 36 points, you don’t
give her 36 roses,” he says. “You give her one
rose on 36 separate occasions.”
When I landed my fi rst book contract, I
viewed it as a chance to fi nally contribute in a
signifi cant way to my family’s bottom line.
More important, the book documented our
family’s year from hell and spoke directly to
the challenges my wife and I had faced as a
couple. In my mind, going off to work each day
was a romantic mission to save the sinking
ship that was our marriage. All my wife knew
was that I was gone. Completely caught up in
my work. For close to a year.
When I fi nally looked up from my work, I
discovered that the marriage I thought I was
saving was gone.
During our family’s year from hell, a brandnew
crisis would arrive at our doorstep every
4 weeks or so. It was almost as if we had inadvertently
enrolled in the tragedy-of-themonth
club. The hypervigilance that sustained
my wife and me through these crises was not
so conducive for relaxed date nights and handholding.
And when the end of the world
becomes your comfort zone, each new crisis is
actually a relief from the stress of worrying
about what will befall you next.
It reached the point where I felt closest to
my wife when we were racing to the hospital
together. That was our date night.
According to Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D., a neuroscientist
and the author of The Emotional
Brain, fear-based memories are encoded in a
part of our brains called the amygdala. So
while my more logical hippocampus and prefrontal
cortex understood that the year from
hell was over—and that my wife was a person
distinct from that horrible experience—the
story was less clear down in my amygdala.
Eventually, posits LeDoux, my wife and I
came to associate each other’s presence with
stressful situations. Not good.
hormonal level. “Men and women do have
‘chemistry,’ ” he says. “A woman gives off pheromones
when she feels taken care of by a man.
What men fail to realize is that on an interpersonal,
chemical level, it’s the small stuff
that really does matter.
“If you want to score 36 points, you don’t
give her 36 roses,” he says. “You give her one
rose on 36 separate occasions.”
When I landed my fi rst book contract, I
viewed it as a chance to fi nally contribute in a
signifi cant way to my family’s bottom line.
More important, the book documented our
family’s year from hell and spoke directly to
the challenges my wife and I had faced as a
couple. In my mind, going off to work each day
was a romantic mission to save the sinking
ship that was our marriage. All my wife knew
was that I was gone. Completely caught up in
my work. For close to a year.
When I fi nally looked up from my work, I
discovered that the marriage I thought I was
saving was gone.
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