In 55 wide-ranging lists, TIME surveys the highs and lows, the good and the bad of the past 12 months
Big Brother at the Soda Fountain
<br>It’s known as the Big Apple, but don’t expect to quench your thirst with a big soda in New York City. Led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city’s board of health passed a ban on supersize sugary sodas sold at restaurants, mobile food carts, sports arenas and movie theaters. The ban applies to any sugared drink larger than 16 oz. and is part of Bloomberg’s continued effort to improve the health of New Yorkers. Citing studies that show that drinking a can of sugared soda a day adds an extra 14,600 calories to a person’s diet every year, or 4 lb. in weight gain, the mayor and the city’s public health officials hope the effort makes a difference in the waistlines of city residents. The ban doesn’t apply to fruit juices, alcoholic beverages, diet sodas or dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, and larger beverages can still be purchased at grocery stores and convenience stores. Soda makers, restaurateurs and other businesses are fighting back against what they claims is an infringement on people’s right to chose their own beverage size, and <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/13/soda-industry-sues-to-block-nycs-ban-on-big-drinks/">filed a lawsuit</a> against the city.asifferlin
Organic Doesn’t Mean More Nutritious
<br>Since organic foods are grown without pesticides and using natural fertilizers, that must mean they’re more nutritious and packed with good-for-you vitamins, right? Not quite. Stanford University researchers analyzed 17 studies linking organic and conventionally grown foods to health outcomes and concluded that organic products are not necessarily more nutritious than their conventional versions, and no less susceptible to contamination from microbes like <i>E. coli. </i>Organic fruits, vegetables and dairy products are less likely to contain pesticide residue, however, which is one reason some people prefer products grown this way. But claims that organic growing captures more nutrients and is “healthier” don’t seem to hold up.asifferlin
Salt, Salt Everywhere
<br>Americans love salt, so it’s no surprise that a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/08/top-10-sources-of-salt-in-your-diet/"> report</a> says 9 out of 10 of us consume too much. Most of this excess sodium — 75% — comes from foods prepared outside the home. And the worst culprits are bread and rolls, followed by sandwich meat.<br><br><br><br>Even healthy individuals should watch their salt intake, according to an advisory from the American Heart Association, which called recent studies disproving a link between salt and heart-disease risk "widely misinterpreted." It also reiterated its 2011 recommendation that all Americans limit their sodium intake to just 1,500 mg per day — less than the amount found in a single teaspoon of table salt. Right now, the average American consumes more than twice that amount.asifferlin
Two New Diet Drugs
<br>If you find it hard to lose weight through diet and exercise alone, you now have two new pills to fight pounds: <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/18/qsymia-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-diet-pill/">Qsymia</a> and<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/28/belviq-5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-diet-pill/"> Belviq</a>, the first diet drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since orlistat (Xenical) was given the green light in 1999.<br><br>Qsymia, formerly known as Qnexa, combines the appetite-suppressing stimulant phentermine, which has long been used for short-term weight loss, and topiramate, a satiety-inducing anti-seizure medication used to treat epilepsy. During trials, participants taking the drug lost 8.4% to 10.6% of their body weight. Belviq controls appetite by activating brain receptors for serotonin, which triggers feelings of fullness. Users without Type 2 diabetes lost at least 5% of their starting weight over a year, compared with 23% among those taking a placebo.<br><br>The drugs are approved only for obese adults with a body mass index of 30 or higher, or those with a BMI of 27 or higher as long as they have at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, Type 2 <a href="http://topics.time.com/diabetes/">diabetes</a> or high cholesterol.asifferlin
Are Love Handles Lethal?
<br>Most of us aren’t happy with our paunches, but the latest research shows they’re more than just physically unappealing.<br><br><br><br>Even if you’re not overweight, excess fat around the belly increases your risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, and Mayo Clinic scientists report that even normal-weight individuals with this “central” fat are over 50% more likely to die earlier from all causes than those who are obese. That’s because belly fat tends to be of the visceral variety, a metabolically distinct type of fat that releases hormones that promote insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to diabetes. People with more abdominal fat may also be at higher risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease because they tend to have less muscle overall, which means they may not be getting enough exercise. The results add to a growing appreciation that healthy weight is more than just a number; it’s also about finding the right metabolic balance that keeps unhealthy types of fat to a minimum.asifferlin
Have Pie with Your Eggs
<br>Eating dessert each morning sounds too decadent to be healthy, but it could be a good way to lose weight. Researchers from Tel Aviv University found that among dieters already controlling the number of calories they eat (1,600 calories a day for men and 1,400 calories a day for women), adding dessert — a small cookie or slice of cake — with breakfast helped them shed more pounds.<br><br><br><br>In the 32-week study, both groups ate breakfasts that were rich in protein, including options like tuna, egg whites, cheese and low-fat milk. During the first half of the study, both groups lost weight, but in the final 16 weeks, those refraining from dessert in the morning regained an average of 22 lb., while those indulging their sweet tooth lost another 15 lb. on average.<br><br><br><br>The combination of the protein-heavy meal, which reduces hunger, and the sweet treat to cut down on cravings may be the perfect formula for controlling eating, say the researchers. Which means it may be possible to have your cake and eat it too, as long as it’s for breakfast.asifferlin
Weight Watchers Works
<br>Here’s the secret to successful weight loss: food diaries and the buddy system. In a<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/11/study-weight-watchers-works-better-than-clinical-weight-loss-programs/"> study</a> comparing weight-loss programs, dieters using Weight Watchers, which incorporates both of these approaches, were more successful at shedding pounds than those relying on clinical programs with professional diet experts.<br><br><br><br>In the study, researchers from Baruch College in New York City randomly assigned 141 overweight individuals to one of three diet strategies: Weight Watchers, a weight-loss program led by a health professional or a combination of the two.<br><br><br><br>After nearly a year, the Weight Watchers group lost an average of just over 13 lb., compared with 12 lb. among those led by a health professional and 8 lb. among the group using a combination of behavioral weight-loss strategies and Weight Watchers. While the scientists expected the hybrid group to be the most successful in losing weight, nearly 37% of those on Weight Watchers lost at least 10% of their starting weight, compared with 11% of those in the professionally led group and 15% of those in the hybrid group.<br><br><br><br>What made the difference? The researchers say Weight Watchers’ daily food tracking helps dieters remain accountable for what they eat and helps them limit their consumption over longer periods of time. That idea is supported by other studies showing that, for example, women who kept food journals consistently lost about 6 lb. more than those who did not.asifferlin
Healthy Restaurant Seal of Approval
<br>Want to eat healthily but don’t have time to whip up your own meals? Start looking for SPE certification when you eat out. Similar to architecture's LEED certification, it’s a new way for restaurants to highlight and follow strict criteria for serving healthy fare. Short for <em>sanitas per escam</em> (Latin for health through food), SPE focuses on using local, seasonal ingredients and cooking to maximize the nutritional value of ingredients. Chefs can submit single dishes or entire menus for certification, and SPE’s executive chef and registered dietician will tweak the culinary masterpieces to boost their nutritional value and take advantage of the freshest local and seasonal meats and vegetables. The program’s creator, New York City restaurateur Emmanuel Verstraeten, is hopeful that the certification will spread from fine-dining restaurants to causal-eating chains and even school cafeterias in the coming years.asifferlin
The Feeding-Tube Diet
<br>Brides-to-be are known to take drastic measures to fit into the gown of their dreams, but the craze over this spring’s<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/18/with-this-tube-i-thee-shed-whats-wrong-with-the-latest-wedding-crash-diet/"> feeding-tube diet</a> may take wedding diets too far. Also referred to as the K-E diet, the fad involves hooking yourself up to the same feeding tubes that patients who cannot eat after a stroke or because of a coma rely on for nutrition. Women who volunteer for the unusual diet allow doctors to place a nasogastric tube through their nose and into their stomach while they carry around a protein pack that dispenses drops of a liquid nutrient mix providing about 800 calories a day. (Health experts recommend women consume from 2,000 calories to 2,400 calories a day.) The procedure isn’t cheap — it costs over $1,000 — and basically starves the body until it enters into a state of ketosis and starts to burn stored fat. Some ads for the diet boast double-digit drops in weight. However, the process can also cause the body to eat away at muscle, which health experts say is dangerous and can lead to more severe health problems that are too high a price to pay for looking slim on your wedding day.asifferlin
The Best Diet
<br>Too many diets, but not enough time to study them all? Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital did the work for you and compared three popular ways to eat yourself slim: low fat, low carb, and low-glycemic index diets. The winner? Low-glycemic index diets are the most successful at keeping weight off without negative side effects. These diets are heavy on foods that take the body longer to absorb, such as oatmeal and beans, which means they keep you feeling full longer. That helps to control appetite and promote longer-lasting weight loss. In the study, dieters cutting down on carbohydrates burned the most calories, but they also experienced more spikes in the stress hormone cortisol and the inflammation marker CRP, which is a risk factor for heart disease. Participants on the low-glycemic index diet burned about 150 calories more each day than those in the low-fat group, without the harmful heart risks. The low-fat dieters burned the fewest calories each day and showed increases in triglycerides and lower levels of good cholesterol. On the low-glycemic diet, participants experienced fewer spikes and drops and in blood sugar, which protected them from the hunger pangs that can lead to overeating.asifferlin
Exercising Harder Is Better than Exercising Longer
<br>If spending hours at the gym isn’t your thing, take heart. Recent studies report that shorter bouts of exercise at a higher intensity can improve fitness more than working out at a moderate pace for longer periods of time. In one study involving over 10,000 adults, people who walked slowly — even for up to an hour — saw no preventative benefits, while those who walked briskly or jogged cut their risk of metabolic syndrome (which includes hypertension, high blood sugar and extra weight) by nearly half. The same trend held for weight loss; people who exercised at a moderate level for 30 minutes a day lost more weight than those who slogged through hour-long sessions. So even if you don’t have time, rev up the intensity of your workouts to still reap the benefits of physical activity.asifferlin
Exercise Can Change Your DNA
<br>Physical activity can certainly change your physique, but the latest research shows it can <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/07/how-exercise-can-change-your-dna/">change your DNA</a> as well, even after a single workout. Scientists monitoring volunteers who exercised to their maximum activity levels on a stationary bike reported that working out muscle triggers genes that prime muscle cells to soak up nutrients and enzymes in order to burn calories and generate energy. Each bout of exercise can make the entire process more efficient, which means getting off the couch really does a body good.asifferlin
Drum Your Way to Fitness
<br>You don’t have to be in a band to take advantage of this fitness trend, which lets you release your inner rock star. <a href="http://www.poundfit.com/#!home/mainPage">Pound</a>, a workout created by California-based drummers Kirsten Potenza and Cristina Peerenboom, involves hitting the ground over 1,000 times during cardio workouts with lightly weighted drumsticks called Ripstix. The session mixes conditioning and interval training, and is available at studios and gyms nationwide, including Crunch. <a href="http://www.drums-alive.com/">Drums Alive</a> is another drum-based workout; it incorporates aerobic dancing and jamming on exercise balls.asifferlin
Fitness Programs for Children
<br>With obesity rates continuing to rise, gyms are turning to the newest population of would-be exercisers: children. The programs are a welcome substitute for school-based physical-education classes, which are among the first to be sacrificed when budgets shrink. Thanks in part to First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, which encourages youngsters to become more physically active, child-focused gyms and wellness centers are hoping to build good exercise habits in kids so that they'll become part of a lifetime routine. Teaching children about the importance of exercise early on can help make them fitter adults, which in turn might finally lead to a drop in chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.asifferlin
Workout Tracker
<br>If you’re going to exercise, you might as well make it count. Literally. Uber-tracking devices like <a href="http://www.fitbit.com/">Fitbit</a> and<a href="http://www.bodymedia.com/"> BodyMedia</a> products record every move you make (or don’t make when you’re snoozing). The data on body heat, perspiration and sleep quality are sent to an outline profile so users can keep a tally of daily totals. And runners can take advantage of <a href="http://runkeeper.com/">RunKeeper</a> and <a href="http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/">Nike+</a>, with apps that monitor distances and use verbal cues for interval training. RunKeeper syncs up with smart-phone GPS apps to track runners’ time, distance, pace and calories burned. And what’s all that sweat worth if you can’t share it? Both apps allow runners to share their logs with friends on Facebook and Twitter.asifferlin
Strong Is the New Skinny
<br>Heavy strength training and high-intensity boot camps are having a moment. According to the American Academy of Sports Medicine, strength training and body-weight training are expected to be the top fitness trends in 2013. Women are particularly attracted to the trend, since cultural ideals of femininity are gradually focusing on strength over slimness, with fitness becoming a priority.asifferlin
Working Out for God
Rick Warren, creator of the Daniel Plan. <br>According to Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best seller <i>The Purpose Driven Life</i> and leader of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., Scripture not only urges followers to live a better life but also can motivate them to lose weight too. Warren created the Daniel Plan for his congregation, a wellness program inspired by the Book of Daniel in which Daniel refuses the decadent royal feast offered to him by King Nebuchadnezzar and instead asks for vegetables and water. The Daniel Plan consists of eating programs, workout classes and small-group meetings designed to help people make changes in their lifestyle in order to improve their health. More than 15,000 members of Warren's congregation have signed up, collectively losing 260,000 lb.asifferlin
Hate to Exercise? Make It a Party
<br>Forget three-martini lunches and steak dinners. Spin classes are the new place to schmooze clients. Powering through a workout is a good way to break the ice, say fitness experts who see more business meetings in their studios, and commiserating over a punishing session can quickly establish a common bond. Even bachelorette bashes are moving from the bars and into the gym with bride-to-be customized yoga sessions. Plus, it’s the ultimate in multitasking: you take care of business and get your workout in too.asifferlin
P90X
<br>Nothing makes a workout trendier than a political endorsement. Special thanks to vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan for popularizing the killer <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/13/paul-ryans-killer-workout-what-is-p90x/">P90X</a> workout series, which he credits for his 6%–8% body fat. Ryan — sometimes joined by P90X creator Tony Horton — even leads P90X sweat sessions with fellow Hill staffers. For those without passes to the Capitol, the home-fitness package by Beach Body includes 12 workout DVDs and nutritional guides. The workout, which doesn’t require any equipment but relies on using the body’s own weight as a tool, stretches over 90 days of plyometric exercises, weight training and even yoga. The mash-up of different ways to work muscles is intentional and meant to keep users from falling into fitness ruts. If followed religiously, Horton claims, the program can transform bodies from flabby to fabulous.asifferlin
Bespoke Fitness
<br>It’s harder to skip a workout if the fitness regimen is customized for you. That’s the idea behind <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/18/gym-jeeves-yes-you-can-hire-a-fitness-concierge/">fitness concierge services</a> like<a href="https://fitist.com/memberhome"> FITiST</a> and<a href="http://www.sinworkouts.com/"> SIN Workouts</a>, which build personalized workouts around people's fitness goals and busy schedules. Most of the sessions are scheduled at boutique fitness studios or with coveted trainers in cities of the clients’ own choosing. High-paying gym junkies can mix up their workouts with different goal-oriented sessions at multiple gyms while tapping into the industry knowledge of fitness concierges who will sign them up for the sweatiest boot camp or trendiest yoga instructor. It’s taking off with frequent travelers, who never have to take a week off Pilates. Like any good hotel concierge, a fitness concierge can provide workout options in unfamiliar cities. But the services are pricey, with triple-digit monthly consulting fees on top of individual studio fees.asifferlin
The Perils of Being a Martyr Mom
<br>Might women’s happiness hinge on their employment status? A <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/01/stay-at-home-moms-report-more-sadness-anger-and-depression-than-working-moms/">Gallup.com survey</a> in May found that nonworking women with a child under 18 at home experienced more worry, sadness, stress and anger than moms who are employed full-time or part-time. The survey also asked women if they’d ever been diagnosed with depression and found that stay-at-home moms were more likely to say yes than working moms. “This suggests there might be something about working that is creating more positive emotions for employed moms, or there might be something about staying at home that’s creating more negative emotions,” says Elizabeth Mendes, deputy managing editor of Gallup.com. Either way, what’s clear from <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/07/mother-is-best-why-intensive-parenting-makes-moms-more-depressed/">another study</a> is that “intensive parenting" — in which children are situated squarely at the center of a woman’s world, with the belief that moms' parenting skills trump dads' — isn’t an advisable approach for working moms or those who stay home with the kiddos. Research from the University of Mary Washington concluded that women who insist “mother is best” are less satisfied with their lives.brochman
The Clueless-Dad Meme That Won't Die
<br>Dad as the bumbling, fumbling parent figure was on full display this year, visible everywhere from <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/huggies-diaper-ad-backfires-dads-15923528">diaper commercials</a> to the new sitcom <em>Guys with Kids</em>, which hardly captures the gestalt of the modern dad. <em>Guys with Kids</em> pushes the idea that dads aren’t really, truly nurturing when the opposite is true: this generation’s fathers can read <em>Goodnight Moon</em> with the best of them. The stereotype of what <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/guys-with-kids-nbc-13098624"><em>Esquire</em> calls</a> “benevolent idiots” or “buffoonish Mr. Moms, people who are biologically incapable of taking care of children” continued in the movie <em>What to Expect When You're Expecting</em>, a thoroughly unrealistic look at five couples about to bring baby on board. But even the government perpetuates the <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/17/daddy-day-care-why-does-the-government-consider-dads-babysitters/">image of Dad as sidekick</a>. The U.S. Census Bureau persists in considering mothers the “designated parent.” When dads bathe, feed and play with the kids, it’s not considered parenting but classified as “child care.” How’s that for bumbling?brochman
Breast-Feeding: Still Controversial
<br>Ah, breast-feeding. Two things are for sure: it’s still causing controversy, and moms are still failing to nurse for as long as they intended to. Just 1% of them said they intended to breast-feed exclusively — giving no formula — for less than a month, but 42% stopped within that first month, according to <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/04/why-most-moms-cant-reach-their-own-breast-feeding-goals/">research</a> published in June in <em>Pediatrics</em>. Then there’s the other extreme: <a href="http://lightbox.time.com/2012/05/10/parenting/">TIME’s cover image</a> of a model-looking mom breast-feeding her preschool-age son generated a flurry of excitement over how long is too long to breast-feed. Naysayers, stand down: the American Academy of Pediatrics sets no upper limit.brochman
New Book, Slow Parenting
<br>Has parenting lost its joy? Susan Sachs Lipman thinks so, which is why she wrote a book eschewing the hecticness of carpooling and myriad extracurriculars and urging tranquility. Taking a page from the slow-food movement, which advocates leisurely meals, Lipman <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/14/slow-parenting-why-a-mom-is-fed-up-with-frenzy/">promotes “slow parenting”</a> in her book <em>Fed Up with Frenzy</em>. She writes, "I was too busy with the future to notice the present, too busy with the calendar and the to-do list to stop and chat in the market or between activities ... I began to wonder just what the rush was, and whether slowing down might help me and my family become more connected and calm.” Her ideas are simple: embrace downtime by showing an outdoor movie or deciding your child won’t melt if she doesn’t attend every birthday party she’s invited to. Can making homemade jam with your kids really soothe the soul? It worked for me — but only for a while.brochman
Too Old to Be a Dad?
<br>Men have traditionally assumed they’ve got all the time in the world to father wee ones. But they may have their own biological clock of sorts, according to new studies that show that older men’s children are more prone to genetic and behavioral disorders. <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1839160,00.html">Previous studies</a> found that older men are more inclined to have kids with autism, Down syndrome and bipolar disorder. Now guys are learning that aging fathers are more likely to have <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/23/older-fathers-linked-to-kids-autism-and-schizophrenia-risk/">children with autism or schizophrenia</a>. The reason? Older dads transmit more random genetic mutations to their kids, and that ups their risk for disease.brochman
Snoozing Your Biological Clock
<br>In October, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine lifted the "experimental" label from egg freezing, meaning that what's been a niche practice of older, childless women — freezing their eggs for conception down the road — is pretty much guaranteed to pick up steam. And improved egg-freezing techniques are relevant to women going through routine IVF (it means they don't have to create embryos and then worry about what to do with those embryos in the long term) and provide another option for women who can't do IVF because they lack healthy eggs of their own. It’s also good news for cancer patients, who now have another way to preserve their fertility — and for Eggsurance, a <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/30/a-new-website-encourages-egg-freezing-for-single-women/">newly launched website</a> that encourages single gals to freeze their eggs.brochman
Motherhood Penalty
<br>In more bad — if unsurprising — economic news, married mothers have more of a gap between jobs and are less likely to find new jobs than married fathers. The kicker? Once they land one of those hard-to-find positions, they make a lot less than dads — even after controlling for education level and previous job and earnings histories. “There does appear to be a motherhood penalty,” says Brian Serafini, a University of Washington doctoral candidate in sociology who co-authored <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/17/the-motherhood-penalty-were-in-the-midst-of-a-mom-cession/">research about the “mom-cession."</a> Perhaps it’s because those moms are earning as much as $9,000 a year less than married dads that a new voting demographic was coined in this year’s election. “Walmart moms” are more worried about the family budget than the national budget. With depressing research findings like these, can you blame them?brochman
Mom Reality Checks
<br>The leap from zippy coupe to Honda Odyssey is both physical and emotional. That’s why <em><a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/20/how-to-look-hot-in-a-minivan-9-beauty-tips-for-mom/">How to Look Hot in a Minivan</a></em> is here to help. You’ll feel better about your post-baby body when you learn it’s not just you who needs a little firming up; Hollywood journalist Janice Min tells us that Gwyneth Paltrow relied on two pairs of Spanx after daughter Apple arrived. If celeb moms can drop their baby weight, sister, so can you. But what if all that dieting makes you grouchy? No worries. <em><a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/11/are-you-a-shtty-mom/#ixzz2Bfq1Lg16">Sh*tty Mom: The Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us</a></em> discusses — nay, champions —parenting’s low points with chapters titled “How to Drop Your Sick Kid Off at Daycare Before the Teacher Figures It Out” and “It’s Come to Your Attention That Your Kid Is Merely Average.” Average? Our kid? Sorry, we couldn’t hear you. Raffi’s playing too loudly in the minivan.brochman
Having It All — or Not
Sheryl Sandberg (L), Anne-Marie Slaughter (R)<br>There was no shortage this year of high-profile takes on balancing work and family. Anne-Marie Slaughter <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/06/about-that-atlantic-article-why-working-from-home-isnt-the-answer-for-working-moms/">made waves</a> in a piece in the <em>Atlantic</em> titled “<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/">Why Women Still Can’t Have It All</a>.” Not long before, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/12/facebooks-sheryl-sandberg-leaves-work-at-530-should-you/">caused buzz</a> when she gutsily announced that she leaves work each day at 5:30 to eat dinner with her kids. She’s been doing it for years, but the admission was a long time coming. “I would say it’s not until the last year, two years that I’m brave enough to talk about it publicly,” she told <a href="http://www.makers.com/">Makers.com</a>, which has compiled <a href="http://www.makers.com/sheryl-sandberg">video clips</a> of trailblazing women. Slaughter says you can't have it all, while Sandberg looks like she <em>does</em> have it all. No wonder we're confused.brochman
The Pregnant CEO
<br>Working women alternately cheered and recoiled in July when Marissa Mayer <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/17/marissa-mayer-is-the-yahoo-ceos-pregnancy-good-for-working-moms/">took the helm</a> of struggling tech titan Yahoo. On the one hand, they saw the former Google executive as a savvy role model. On the other, they were skeptical — even sad — when she announced that she would take a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it maternity leave. With all eyes watching her, Mayer is carrying a heavy load, which at least one expert finds unfortunate. Says Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute: “She should not have to become the symbol of her generation.”brochman
Newt, Marianne and Open Marriage
<br>Nontraditional forms of marriage got a bit of a once-over this election cycle, what with the news of Mitt Romney having polygamists in his lineage and Barack Obama’s dad being married to another woman when he married the President's mother. Then there was the strange episode of Marianne, the second Mrs. Newt Gingrich. On the cusp of the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, she told ABC News that her husband, after carrying on an affair with Callista (the third Mrs. Gingrich) for a few years, asked her for an open marriage. The candidate made no comment on the allegation and skewered interviewers who asked for one. He went on to win that primary, but not the nomination.blandnotblond
Gray Divorce
<br>In Japan, it’s known as retired husband syndrome: older couples whose kids are no longer at home decide to throw a fire blanket over the last few embers of their marriage and snuff it out rather than let it expire along with them. Though overall U.S. divorce rates have declined since their peak in the 1980s, the divorce rate among the 50-plus crowd has risen to its highest level on record. In 1990, only 1 in 10 couples seeking a divorce were 50 or older; by 2009, the number was roughly 1 in 4. That year, the poster couple was Al and Tipper Gore, who separated after more than 40 years of marriage. This year it was Hollywood’s turn; Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, married a whisker longer than 30 years, announced their separation in October.blandnotblond
Public Divorce Fury
<br>Scorned lovers have been around almost as long as lovers, but they used to write poetry. Now, with the added fillip of social media, it’s a marketing opportunity. In May, a newly divorced woman in Superior, Wis., held an “X-husband” yard sale of her former spouse’s stuff, including an SUV spray-painted with the word <em>cheater</em>. In July, another woman followed suit, with a forensically worded sign that read, "Husband left us for a 22-year-old. House For Sale by scorned, slightly bitter, newly single owner." Her accompanying website,<a href="http://greatfamilyhome.com/"> greatfamilyhome.com</a>, drew more than 2 million visitors. And the home sold.blandnotblond
Stressed Out Men Prefer Heavier Women
<br>While skeletal female bodies may rule the catwalk, they don’t always rule men’s hearts. An August study from the University of Newcastle in the U.K. found that men who were stressed out tended to find slightly heavier women more attractive than relaxed men did. Overall, men still preferred a lower body mass index, but their appreciation for a range of body types seemed to be enhanced by pressure.blandnotblond
Elaborate Wedding Proposals
Polygamy Activism
<br>Polygamists, perhaps emboldened by the gains made by same-sex-marriage activists, have started advocating for their type of family. In February, Kody Brown, husband of four, father of 17 and the central figure in the popular Lifetime reality show <em>Sister Wives</em>, sued the state of Utah, claiming religious discrimination. He and others, including the Darger family (three wives, 26 children), have been writing and talking openly about their way of life in an effort to have polygamy decriminalized. The courts in Utah have agreed to hear the case.blandnotblond
Surprise Celeb Divorces
<br>Sometimes the kindest cut is the quickest. It’s certainly the most newsworthy. In the June edition of <em>Playboy</em>, Tom Cruise was effusive in his praise for his third wife. But before that issue was off newsstands, said third wife, Katie Holmes, had sprung divorce papers on the star while he was filming in Iceland. More ouchy still, it emerged that this was not an impulsive decision but the final maneuver in what appeared to be a thought-out escape plan, which included renting a getaway pad in New York City. They weren’t the first couple to split unexpectedly. A few weeks after sending out a happy December skiing photo, singer Seal and model Heidi Klum apparently went off piste and filed for divorce. This was something of a change for the two, who were known for renewing their wedding vows annually. Neither couple quite hit the seven-year mark. Hmm.blandnotblond
The End of Men, or Not
<br>More women graduate from universities than men at every level. And more higher-paying jobs are going to graduates. Does this mean men are over? So proclaimed a magazine cover story in July 2010 and a more thoroughly reported book, both called <em>The End of Men</em>, this September. The rising employability, earning power and education of women has men on the back foot, the book argues. Experts suggest this may put a strain on inter-gender relationships as men struggle to find their place. But not so fast: while women are doing better than their mothers, men doing similar professions still earn more than women. Not to mention that the biggest beneficiary of women’s extra income is usually the men who married them. There’s life in those gentlemen yet.blandnotblond
The Covert-Ops Affair
<br>For some onlookers, David Petraeus’ affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell offered a lesson in hubris, foolhardiness and the true meaning of the word <em>crush</em>. Others simply learned a new way to leave stealth messages for their squeeze on the side: Petraeus and Broadwell communicated via a shared Gmail account. One would write a mash note and leave it in the draft folder without sending it. The other would then log on and check what surprises awaited in the draft. The technique, which is said to be employed by terrorists as well, leaves no e-mail signature. But as the ex-lovers and the entire rest of the planet found out, it’s not spook-proof.blandnotblond
Marriage Equality Makes History
<br>This year the chips mostly fell the way of advocates for same-sex marriage. In May, President Obama voiced his support for gay marriage, a reversal of his former stance. In November, three states confirmed what polling seemed to show — that the U.S. is slowly moving in favor of allowing gays to marry. Voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington cast their ballots in favor of same-sex marriage, the first time such a plebiscite had succeeded. And Minnesotans became the first citizens to successfully vote down a state ban on gay marriage. No wonder one marriage-equality activist called 2012 “a banner year.”blandnotblond
Zit-Zapping Viruses
<br>Sometimes it’s best to fight fire with fire, and that’s the approach <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/25/a-new-way-to-fight-acne-harmless-viruses-that-live-on-your-skin/">doctors are taking against acne</a>, that bane of adolescence, by sending in a relatively inert virus to fight the bacteria responsible for skin blemishes. These viruses are already embedded in pores deep inside the skin and have a natural ability to infect bacterial cells, turning them into virusmaking factories before causing the bacteria to self-destruct. It’s just a matter of boosting their numbers, which researchers say can be done with a topical cream that’s loaded with the viruses. Or they could simply slather the cream with the bacteria-killing agent that the viruses produce. Either way, it could mean welcome clear skin for teens.apark7
Man-Made Mouse Eggs
<br>Stem cells have made what seemed like impossible biological feats attainable: treating diabetes, helping paralyzed patients to walk again, repairing heart tissue damaged by a heart attack. But even for stem cells, regenerating the most fundamental elements of life — egg and sperm — from scratch seemed too great a challenge. <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/05/hope-for-infertily-treatments-scientists-make-new-eggs-from-mouse-stem-cells">Or maybe not</a>. Scientists in Japan used two kinds of stem cells from mice — those taken from days-old embryos and those reprogrammed from adult mouse skin cells — and created viable egg cells that they then successfully fertilized to generate the first ever pups born from stem-cell-derived eggs. The apparently healthy mouse pups are the ultimate test of the regenerative capabilities of stem cells and represent a breakthrough that could potentially lead to new treatments for infertility in human couples.apark7
Decoding Childhood Tumors
<br>Survival rates for pediatric cancers have improved to an impressive <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/30/decoding-cancer-scientists-release-520-tumor-genomes-from-pediatric-patients/">80%–90%</a> in recent years, and much of the boost is due to early detection of tumors and treatment with some well-established interventions, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. So doctors hope that the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, a three-year, $65 million effort to sequence major pediatric cancers, will become a rich source of new targets for therapies. Understanding the genetic drivers of cancers can hopefully reveal common pathways among different types of cancers, allowing doctors to borrow treatments effective against one type of tumor to treat another, for example, or to generate entirely new drugs for thwarting cells that grow abnormally. It’s the future of cancer treatment that may bump survival rates even higher.apark7
Speeding DNA-Based Diagnosis for Newborns
<br><a id="internal-source-marker_0.9586826939975704" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/04/good-news-for-nicu-babies-faster-dna-testing-for-more-accurate-diagnoses/">Fifty hours</a>. That’s how long it now takes to decode and interpret a newborn baby’s genome — an undertaking that used to take weeks or even months. And those two days can mean the difference between life and death for a critically ill infant. The speedier genomic analysis is possible thanks to advances in sequencing technology as well as innovative software that links the 3,500 known genetic defects to their childhood diseases, allowing doctors to quickly decide on the right treatment that could save a baby’s life. About 30% of babies admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit each year have inherited a genetic disease, and sequencing their genomes may become a critical part of improving their care in coming years — the sooner the better.apark7
Hope for Reversing Autism
<br>In encouraging news for parents of autistic children, researchers say <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/26/behavior-therapy-normalizes-brains-of-autistic-children/">early behavior therapy</a> can help normalize brain patterns responsible for the symptoms of the condition. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders who participated in the Early Start Denver Model program, which involves intensive social and linguistic engagement with toddlers, showed changes in the way their brains process human faces and objects. Autistic youngsters generally show more brain activity when they view images of an inanimate object like a toy than when they see a picture of a woman’s face. But after two years of ESDM therapy, the autistic children showed the opposite response, and these patterns came close to mimicking those found among normally developing children. It’s a hopeful sign that it’s possible to halt some of the brain changes linked to autism and possibly even reverse them. But the key to the program’s success involves early and intensive intervention with properly trained counselors who actively engage the toddlers in several hours of therapy a week.apark7
Lab-Grown Body Parts
<br>Windpipes are not like kidneys or livers; they aren’t among the organs that routinely show up on the organ-transplant list. But thanks to stem cells, patients in need of a new trachea can grow their own. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute fashioned only the second<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/13/cancer-patient-receives-a-man-made-windpipe/"> man-made trachea</a>, which connects the nose and mouth to the lungs, using synthetic microfibers and a bath of stem cells removed from the bone marrow of a patient whose own trachea was destroyed by cancer. In the first case, a donor trachea from a deceased individual served as the scaffold for a Spanish woman’s stem cells. In the latest advance, the scientists used a bioengineered matrix to seed the cells. Such techniques represent the future of regenerative medicine, in which stem cells of all kinds, including those made from patients’ own skin cells, can serve as the basis for generating any type of cell or tissue that needs to be replaced or repaired.apark7
Do-It-All HIV Drug
<br>It’s already a potent weapon against HIV, but<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/17/truvada-5-things-to-know-about-the-first-drug-to-prevent-hiv/"> Truvada</a>, a combination of two antiviral medications, is now the first drug-based way to prevent infection against the virus among healthy people. After groundbreaking trials showed that uninfected individuals using the medication could lower their risk of acquiring HIV, the Food and Drug Administration expanded Truvada’s approval to include healthy people at high risk of becoming infected with HIV. Studies showed that high-risk gay men as well as the uninfected partner of an HIV-positive patient lowered their chances of becoming positive by anywhere from 42% to 75%. While critics are concerned that the treatment may lead to higher-risk behavior, like unprotected sex, public health experts welcome the new way of fighting AIDS: preventing infections from occurring in the first place.apark7
Breaking Down Breast Cancer
<br>Breast cancer is certainly a complex disease, driven by myriad genetic and lifestyle factors. But in the latest analysis of the DNA of breast tumors, researchers are heartened by the fact that the disease may be slightly simpler than they had thought. The Cancer Genome Atlas, a government project that is sequencing the genomes of dozens of cancers, found more than 30,000 mutations in 510 samples of breast tumors, but these fell into <a id="internal-source-marker_0.9586826939975704" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/24/genetic-study-identifies-four-main-types-of-breast-cancer/">four major subtypes</a>. One showed close ties to ovarian cancer, opening up the possibility that treatments for that cancer can also help breast-cancer patients, while another helps explain why some have better outcomes than others among women with HER-2 receptor tumors that are supposed to respond to drugs like Herceptin. The knowledge could translate into changes in the way doctors treat breast cancers and be the difference between surviving or becoming a victim of the disease.apark7
What Are Bugs For?
<br>What’s the most populace component of the human body? Cells? No. Genes? Not even close. It’s<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/14/the-good-bugs-how-the-germs-in-your-body-keep-you-healthy/"> bugs</a>. The microbes, including bacteria, that live in, on and around us outnumber our human cells 10 to 1. And researchers have just completed the first phase of the Human Microbiome Project, the most comprehensive accounting to date of who these microbial residents are and what they do. Most of them are actually our friends, working hard to ensure that we digest our food, for example, and build up strong immune systems. But as they learn more about the bugs that live within us, scientists are recognizing that they may play an important role in a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including inflammation and obesity. Far from being unwelcome intruders, these microbes may eventually help us treat some of our most intractable health problems.apark7
Junk No More
<br>After being ignored as<a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/06/junk-dna-not-so-useless-after-all/"> useless genetic garbage</a>, the vast 98% of the human genome that does not code for genes finally has a purpose. It turns out that these previously insignificant portions of DNA are the true genetic masterminds, or metabolic switches that regulate how and when genes function as well as how prolifically genes churn out their respective proteins. Without them, scientists say, genes would be like a jumbled mess of words that have no meaning. Scientists are already exploiting the newly discovered trove of biological information and pursuing new ways of controlling, and possibly even curing, diseases with the flick of a genetic switch.apark7
Use of Common Pesticide Linked to Bee Colony Collapse
<br>I’m no Mr. Smartypants entomologist, but if you’re looking for the reason whole populations of insects are dying, mightn’t you first consider the use of, um, insecticides? From 30% to 90% of honeybee colonies have collapsed worldwide since 2006 depending on the region, with the figure standing at 50% in the U.S. After considering disease, infestations by competing insects and other variables, investigators at the Harvard School of Public Health finally found that the pesticide imidacloprid plays a big role. Next bulletin from the kids from Cambridge: <em>Big Hole in Hull May Have Been Factor in Sinking of Titanic</em>.jkluger
Want to Limit Aggression? Practice Self-Control!
<br>You know that guy who was ahead of you on the crowded escalator at the department store last weekend—the one who suddenly stopped when he reached the top so that you and everybody behind you formed a 12-person pileup against his back and only then did it occur to him that maybe, just maybe, he should move? Yes, that guy. What you really wanted to do was chase him down and beat him insensible with a rolled-up newspaper until he admitted that he was too much of a cement-head to be out in public without an attendant, right? But you <em>didn</em>'t chase him down and beat him insensible with a rolled up newspaper until he admitted that he was too much of a cement-head to be out in public without an attendant. Why? Turns out it was self-control—a fact that was confirmed after much dogged research this year in the journal <em>Current Directions in Psychological Science</em>. And you always thought the answer was magic beans.jkluger
Moderate Doses of Alcohol Increase Social Bonding in Groups
<br>Just checking: The term is “happy hour,” not “despondent hour,” right? You still say “cheers” when you hoist a drink, not “existential despair”? Thought so. But thanks to a study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, titled (really), “Alcohol and Group Formation: A Multimodal Investigation of the Effects of Alcohol on Emotion and Social Bonding,” we now also know that drinking (surprise!) makes you like people more—which explains why you’re a lot more inclined to say the words “I juzz love thiz guy!” when you’re in a crowded bar on your fourth Grey Goose than when you’re home alone nursing a Pepsi. Glad we finally nailed <em>that</em> one down!jkluger
Blood Pressure Drugs Don’t Protect Against Colorectal Cancer
<br>This will come as a big surprise to anyone who thought blood pressure drugs <em>did</em> protect against colorectal cancer—and who also thought that psoriasis cream was a great cure for headaches and a fabric store would be a dandy place to buy a hammer. The rest us you can just continue on with your day. OK, for anyone left, it's true that hypertension drugs known as beta blockers do reduce the hormone norepinephrine, and some animal studies have shown that norepinephrine encourages the growth of some cancer cells, but investigators at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg found no real benefit in a newer study. So there’s a there there. Still, here’s hoping the grant application was written better than the press release.jkluger
To “Think Outside the Box,” Think Outside the Box
<br>You know how Joe Biden says “literally” a lot—like a ton, like literally a billion times a minute? At Singapore Management University, they make Joe look like an amateur. In order to determine how to help people think outside the box, they recruited a team of volunteers and had some of them sit inside a box and some outside. Literally. “The two environments were set up to be otherwise the same in every way,” the press release assured, except for, you know, the part about sitting inside a box. Then both groups took a creativity test, and who’d have thought it? The ones who hadn’t been crated up like victims of a mob hit did better. The researchers attributed the results to the power of the familiar metaphor: when you’re outside a real box your mind frees itself up. Further research may help determine if the availability of, say, light and air played a role too.jkluger
Web Offers Poor and Often Inaccurate Info on Designer Vagina Procedures
<br>OK, so it’s on the Web, it includes the words “designer” and “vagina” and it involves having surgery. What could possibly go wrong? Look, there are a whole lot of things smart people don’t do online: buy a suit, sign a mortgage, forward anything to ten friends because an anonymous sender says “forward this to ten friends.” Add to that list shopping for new genitalia. But hey, if you’re looking to upgrade to Vagina 2.0 and want to do it on the Internet, go right ahead. Just make sure your $10 million check from the Nigerian Finance Minister has cleared first.jkluger
Monogamy Reduces Major Social Problems of Polygamist Cultures
<br>Before we get to this one, let’s review some other recent and equally surprising findings: People who live in Kansas never lose their homes to coastal flooding. And if you don’t smoke, you never have to worry about getting tobacco stains off your teeth. Now back to that first one—what was it again? Ah yes: according to the University of British Columbia, the social problems that occur in polygamist cultures—including women competing over a common husband and unmarried men fighting over the few potential mates left—don’t occur in monogamous ones. Feel free to share that head-snapper at your next cocktail party.jkluger
Monitoring Spinal Cord During Surgery May Help Prevent Paralysis
<br>I don’t know about you, but I hate it when my doctor rests his drink in my viscera when he’s operating on me—and without a coaster! You have to tell these guys everything: No web-surfing during surgery, no smoking in the O.R., and if you absolutely must have a cocktail before you scrub up, please keep it to wine or beer. Now there’s one more rule, courtesy of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. Turns out that when your doc is operating on or near your spine, he should keep an eye on, well, your spine. Coming next: no keggers in the ICU.jkluger
Why Older People Struggle to Read Fine Print—New Study
<br>Because the letters are too damn small, that’s why! I mean look at this. Look at it! Is that 1 pill every three hours or 7 pills every three hours? Of course I know it’s one pill, but your mother wouldn’t! I practically have to read to her these days. What? No, she never uses that pad-tablet thing you got her. I told you not to spend your money—too damn complicated. A sweater would have been fine! <em>(This research, conducted at the University of Leicester, was financed by your Dad.)</em>jkluger
Dogs Learn to Associate Words With Objects Differently Than Humans Do
<br>So, two species: One wrote <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>, the other drinks out of the toilet. One built the Library of Alexandria, the other still falls for it when you pretend to throw a ball but there’s nothing in your hand. The point is, if you’ve ever looked at your dog and said in the clearest voice possible, “bring me the newspaper” only to have him trot up to you with a groundhog in his mouth, you pretty much get the idea that he doesn’t process words precisely the way you do. But thanks to researchers at the University of Lincoln in the U.K. we now have proof. Better cancel the plans for that contemporary lit course the two of you were going to take together.jkluger
