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Today’s Health Upgrade
Is your brain being hijacked? (in just 14 minutes)
More best of 2025
Let’s talk about GLP-1s and muscle loss
Why many protein bars are not really protein bars
The science of beating a hangover
The knee pain quiz (and the supplements that can help)
How to break your phone addiction
Arnold’s Zero Negativity Diet
How Your Brain Can Be Hijacked In 14 Minutes
Some things drain you slowly. Negative news drains you on contact. What feels like “just a quick update” can quietly change the way you think about your entire life.
Researchers found that watching just 14 minutes of negative news not only worsens your mood but also intensifies your personal worries.
As we continue Arnold’s Zero Negativity Diet this week, this study is your reminder that the brain doesn’t separate “threats in the world” from “threats in your life.” What you consume becomes the lens you look through.
Researchers randomly assigned adults to watch one of three 14-minute TV news bulletins: negative, neutral, or positive content. Afterward, participants reported their mood and completed measures of how they were thinking about their own personal worries. Those who watched negative news were sadder, more anxious, and far more likely to catastrophize about unrelated problems.
Even stories about a crisis on the other side of the world made their everyday concerns — work, relationships, finances — feel more dangerous and unmanageable. Positive and neutral news did not produce this effect.
Our point? If 14 minutes can rewire your outlook, imagine what seven days without that input could restore. Even brief exposure to negative news can push your brain toward worst-case thinking.
Setting boundaries — such as a single timed check-in (Arnold recommended a 10-minute window in the morning, afternoon, and evening) — can help keep your mental landscape clear.
Best of 2025
Throughout the week, we’re sharing the most popular items of the year.
For the last day of 2025, we have a few more items you’ll want to take with you into the new year as nuggets of wisdom that can guide you to better decisions.
Best Of Fact Or Fiction
Do GLP-1’s Destroy Your Muscle?
Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are all over your feed, and so are the warnings. Critics say you’ll lose more muscle than fat and tank your metabolism for good. But is that the whole story?
Although muscle loss can happen on GLP-1 medications, it’s preventable and often overstated.
Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) is a breakthrough for diabetes, weight loss, and metabolic health, especially for people struggling with obesity. In clinical trials, people using semaglutide lost about 30 percent of their total weight, primarily from lean mass. This may sound alarming, but it is a normal occurrence when people lose a significant amount of weight, not just with medication.
Even traditional calorie-restriction nutrition programs show similar percentages of lean mass loss. In other words, it’s not unique to Ozempic.
But here’s what’s missed in the social media panic: you’re not doomed to lose muscle.
Participants who combined semaglutide (GLP-1) with a high-protein diet and resistance training preserved significantly more muscle while still losing substantial fat mass.
And metabolism? Another oversimplified scare tactic. Semaglutide helps reduce appetite and improve insulin sensitivity. While extreme caloric restriction can suppress resting metabolic rate, semaglutide’s effect appears to be more modest and manageable, especially when combined with strength training and a balanced diet.
When you lose a significant amount of weight, you can lose muscle if you don’t prioritize resistance training or eat enough protein. However, the solution is straightforward: lift weights, aim for at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of your target body weight, and prioritize nutrient-dense foods.
You’ll keep your strength, protect your metabolism, and make the most of modern medicine, without falling for fear-based clickbait.
Together With David
The Hidden Truth About Protein Bars
If you think your favorite protein bar is a healthy choice, think again.
Most protein bars on the market are glorified candy bars packed with sugar, fillers, and low-quality protein sources.
At APC, we recently took a closer look at the top 10 best-selling protein bars on Amazon. Instead of analyzing surface-level details, we focused on the ingredients and found something surprising, given that these were best-sellers for protein bars.
Out of the top 10 most sold protein bars on Amazon, only one of them lists a high-quality protein as its primary ingredient. And this isn’t an isolated issue.
A comprehensive review of 83 high-protein snack foods found that 38 percent had chocolate as their first ingredient, not protein.
To put into perspective what’s in these bars, a Gatorade protein bar contains 28 grams of sugar, which is more than a Snickers bar. Many so-called “healthy” bars rely on crafty marketing to sell a product. Instead of fueling your body with what it needs, these bars deliver a sugar crash disguised as a protein boost.
That’s why so many of us have given up on protein bars altogether. But there are exceptions to the rule.
Meet David, the protein bar that redefines what a protein bar should be. With 28 grams of high-quality protein in just 150 calories, David delivers nutrition without the excess baggage.
Unlike the competition, David contains zero sugar, so you get the fuel your body needs without the unnecessary junk. While most brands have to push their calorie counts past 300 just to reach 20 grams of protein, David does more with less, giving you maximum protein without the guilt.
If you want to avoid common pitfalls that unknowingly hold you back, make sure your protein bar is actually a protein bar.
Best of Health
The Scientific Way To Beat A Hangover
We have a feeling this might come in handy for some of you tomorrow.
The first rule of avoiding hangovers is to avoid drinking in a way that will cause a hangover. But if you have a few more than usual, science suggests you don’t have to suffer so much the next day.
Research suggests it’s not just what or how much you drink, but what you do before, during, and after you booze that can help limit or prevent the negative symptoms of too much alcohol.
Your hangovers are the result of how well your body metabolizes alcohol. When you drink alcohol, two enzymes help you break down alcohol. Some people produce less of one enzyme (aldehyde dehydrogenase or ALDH2), which leaves you with a pounding headache.
We’re not recommending drinking, and it’s important to be responsible. But if you drink, the first step to outsmarting a hangover is making sure you don’t have an empty stomach. One study found that eating a 700-calorie meal (either high in carbs or fat) lowered blood alcohol levels and resulted in alcohol leaving the bloodstream faster.
Next, do the most basic thing and drink more water. Part of the hell of hangovers is that you’re dehydrated.
After the night is over, research suggests that most hangover supplements don’t work, but a few ingredients — Korean pear juice, red ginseng, Panax ginseng, and l-cysteine — show potential.
In fact, in one study, participants who got hammered in the name of science had less nausea and fewer headaches when supplementing with 1,200 mg of L-cysteine.
The next day, if you’re still not feeling well and your head is pounding, drink electrolytes and caffeine, and add some Vitamins B and C, and zinc — all of which are depleted when you drink.
Preventative Health
The Supplements That Might Solve Knee Pain (And What’s Your Knee Health Score?)
If you've ever dealt with knee pain, you know how frustrating it can be. The stiffness. The discomfort. The limitations on movement. The joint pain that keeps you from doing what you love. It’s one of the many reasons Arnold joined Zimmer Biomet last year as their Chief Movement Officer, and why many turn to supplements for relief.
But with so many options and hype, it’s fair to wonder if they work.
A new systematic review suggests that three supplements could provide the relief you desire.
Researchers reviewed 22 randomized controlled trials and evaluated how well different supplements improved pain, stiffness, and physical function.
Many popular supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin, did not stand out.
However, NEM (natural eggshell membrane), Aflapin (Boswellia), and E-OA-07 (an herbal mix) each helped with a different aspect of knee osteoarthritis relief.
NEM (Natural Eggshell Membrane at 500 mg/day) was the most effective at reducing joint stiffness. Aflapin (100 mg/day), a specialized Boswellia serrata extract, was best for pain reduction. And E-OA-07 (at 1,000 mg/day), a multi-herbal formulation, was most effective for improving overall knee function and total WOMAC scores.
Each targets different mechanisms that lead to the improvements. NEM contains glycosaminoglycans and collagen, which may help restore joint cartilage and reduce inflammation. Aflapin has anti-inflammatory effects that inhibit enzymes responsible for joint pain. And E-OA-07 combines botanical ingredients that likely work synergistically to ease joint discomfort and improve mobility.
Curious about the health of your knee? You can take this knee health quiz to understand your pain, stiffness, and overall function.
Once you get your score, these supplements could be worth exploring if you want to manage knee osteoarthritis. As always, consult your doctor or healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you're taking other medications or have existing health conditions. If you’re experiencing joint pain, here’s a great resource to help find an orthopedic doctor near you.
Best Of Mental Health
How To Spend Less Time On Your Phone
The average adult spends about 5 hours per day on their phone and checks it up to 144 times daily. And research suggests that approximately 70 percent of apps designed to lessen usage don’t help change your behavior.
If you want to spend less time looking at your phone, the most effective approach might be to visit your settings and switch your phone to grayscale.
Research suggests removing the color from your screen and rearranging your apps could help you reduce your addiction. Studies have found that it can reduce your daily phone use by up to 50 minutes per day, help decrease anxiety, and increase overall well-being. But that alone isn’t enough.
While grayscaling your phone will lead to less time on it, research suggests it doesn’t help reduce how often you check your phone.
If you want to reach for your phone less often, you need to take action with some “self-nudging,” which are strategies that change your digital environment.
Removing notifications, turning off face unlock, moving apps off your home screen, hiding or deleting social media apps (and limiting them to desktop use), and setting screen time reminders are all effective methods of self-nudging. It might also be helpful to charge your phone in a different room to avoid the typical doomscrolling that occurs early in the morning and late at night.
If you want to try switching your phone to grayscale, here’s how:
For Apple devices:
Settings >Accessibility>Display & Text Size >Color Filters>Switch to On and click Grayscale.
On Android:
Settings > Accessibility > Color and motion>Select Color correction, scroll down, and select Grayscale.
Research suggests that many will switch their phones back to color, so get comfortable with the uncomfortable. That’s when the positive changes happen.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
