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Today’s Health Upgrade
A fertility test breakthrough?
The most underrated berry
The alcohol rules
Arnold’s Podcast
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On Our Radar
An At-Home Fertility Test Breakthrough?
Most male fertility tests barely scratch the surface of predicting fertility. But that could soon change.
New research reveals that a new type of at-home test could offer a simple, affordable, and more accurate method for assessing sperm quality.
Here’s the problem with today’s tests: They typically measure how many sperm are present or whether certain proteins show up. But they don’t assess how well the sperm move — and movement (called “motility”) is one of the most important signs of healthy, fertile sperm.
Researchers tried a completely different method. Instead of using a microscope, they looked at how much a tiny drop of semen stuck to a testing strip. The idea was simple: if sperm were moving a lot, they would disrupt the droplet’s stickiness. And that’s exactly what happened. More active sperm made the droplet less sticky because their motion interfered with the forces that keep the fluid stuck to the surface.
Why does this matter? Because the results closely matched the level of sperm movement, and the test was cheap, quick, and easy to run. Even better, it could be automated, making it ideal for home use.
So far, this test has only been tried with bull semen. However, researchers believe it can be adapted for humans and may work even when factors like pH or sugar levels vary — which often occurs in real-life conditions.
If this approach proves reliable in humans, it could give couples a simpler and more private way to understand their fertility — without the hassle of going to a clinic or paying hundreds of dollars for lab tests.
Foods Are Super
Strawberries: Sweet With Benefits
They’re not just for shortcakes and smoothies. Strawberries may be one of the most potent health boosters in your fridge.
Just one to two cups of strawberries a day can improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and protect your brain from midlife decline.
In one study, researchers gave adults with high cholesterol the equivalent of two servings of strawberries. They saw improvements in blood vessel function within hours — including a 3-point drop in systolic blood pressure. Another meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials found that strawberries significantly lowered CRP, a key marker of inflammation, and helped reduce cholesterol in people starting with high baseline levels.
But strawberries don’t just help your heart — they may also support your brain. In a recent 12-week study, middle-aged adults with insulin resistance who consumed one cup of strawberries daily showed improved memory and reduced depressive symptoms. Another study in older adults found that two cups per day improved how quickly they processed information, while also increasing antioxidant levels and lowering blood pressure.
Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, anthocyanins (the red pigment), and polyphenols (like ellagic acid) — compounds shown to reduce oxidative stress and improve blood flow in both the body and brain.
If you’re looking for a way to add them to your diet, toss strawberries into your morning oats, blend them into smoothies, or just eat them whole as a sweet afternoon snack. And if fresh berries are out of season, frozen or freeze-dried work just as well. Anywhere from 1 to 3 cups per day is linked to various brain and heart benefits.
Health
Is Any Amount of Alcohol Safe?
If you like having a drink with dinner or on weekends, you’re not alone. But are a few drinks here and there putting your health at risk?
A recent meta-analysis found that low levels of daily alcohol consumption may increase your risk of early death — but it did not suggest all drinking was problematic.
Researchers reviewed 107 studies covering more than 4.8 million people to assess the relationship between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality.
Many past studies suggested that moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers. But this new review found those studies were riddled with “abstainer bias” — meaning they lumped former drinkers (who may have quit due to health issues) into the same category as lifelong non-drinkers. When the researchers adjusted for this error and accounted for other lifestyle factors, the picture changed dramatically.
Drinking less than 25 grams of alcohol per day (about two drinks) did not lower your risk of dying early. Once people exceeded that amount, the risk started rising. Women who drank 25 grams or more per day had a 22% higher risk of death.
Now, that doesn’t mean you should have drinks daily. But it does mean that any level of alcohol does not lead to health problems.
At the same time, the researchers concluded there is no protective effect of low-level drinking that offers health benefits.
Instead of viewing small amounts of alcohol as a heart-healthy habit, researchers now believe it’s best understood as a dose-dependent toxin: low levels may not kill you, but more is harmful—and even "moderate" amounts carry risks that were previously underestimated.
If you drink alcohol, cutting back — even slightly — can meaningfully reduce your risk of disease and early death.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
