Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Every weekday, we help you make sense of the complex world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and providing quick tips designed to help you stay healthier in under 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.
Today’s Health Upgrade
Coffee and your gut health
Processed foods and your dog
How much does your DNA influence your health?
The benefits of a hardcover book
A Little Wiser (In Less Than 10 Minutes)
Arnold’s Pump Club Podcast is another daily dose of wisdom and positivity. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
On Our Radar
How Your Coffee Feeds Your Gut Bacteria
For years, we’ve heard coffee might protect against heart disease, diabetes, or even dementia. However, recent research suggests that your daily cup could also be nourishing something else: your gut.
Regular coffee drinkers have 6 to 8 times more beneficial gut bacteria compared to non-drinkers.
Researchers analyzed gut samples from nearly 23,000 adults across 34 international cohorts, ranging from North America to Asia. They found that people who consistently drank coffee had significantly higher levels of Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus, a microbe associated with healthier digestion and metabolic function. The relationship was remarkably consistent across cultures, diets, and lifestyles.
The findings were so reproducible across populations that the authors called it one of the clearest diet-microbiome connections ever reported.
Why might this happen? Coffee is rich in polyphenols, plant-based compounds that act like fuel for certain beneficial bacteria. When these microbes thrive, they produce short-chain fatty acids and other metabolites that support gut lining health, reduce inflammation, and help balance metabolism. Our favorite coffee is loaded with more antioxidants than blueberries, which is one reason why we all drink it.
The researchers stress this is observational data — meaning coffee might not directly cause the shift, and the best type or amount is still unknown. However, given that most of the benefits were observed in individuals who drank a few cups of coffee per day, moderate intake (1 to 3 cups) appears to be a good starting point.
And if coffee isn’t your thing, focus on other polyphenol-rich foods like berries, nuts, and dark chocolate, which may offer similar gut-supportive effects.
Together With Sundays For Dogs
Do Processed Foods Affect Your Dog’s Diet and Health?
When it comes to our own health, we know that eating more minimally processed food makes supports better health. But here’s the surprising part: the same rules apply to your dog.
Fresh, less-processed diets help dogs absorb more nutrients, support gut health, and improve overall vitality compared to kibble.
In a controlled study, researchers compared three diets—extruded kibble, lightly cooked food, and raw food—on dogs’ digestion, nutrient absorption, and internal health markers. The results were clear:
Dogs eating lightly cooked or raw meals digested and absorbed significantly more protein, fats, and essential nutrients than those eating kibble. What’s more, blood and urine tests showed no negative effects from fresh diets, countering long-standing concerns about raw feeding. And, dogs on fresh diets also developed healthier gut microbiota, which play a critical role in digestion, immunity, and long-term wellness.
The problem with most kibble? It’s ultra-processed, which can reduce nutrient availability and make digestion harder for your pup.
That’s why we’ve been searching for options that give dogs the same nutritional edge we seek for ourselves. Sundays for Dogs does just that—air-dried, human-grade recipes made with real meat, fruits, and vegetables you’d recognize. It’s as convenient as kibble, but without the compromises.
Independent taste tests show that Sundays outperformed traditional kibble 39–0. Because it’s shelf-stable, there’s no prep, no fridge, and no cleanup. Just pour and serve. We believe your dog deserves more than filler food. That’s why Sundays earned the Arnold’s Pump Club seal of approval.
Use code ARNOLD50 to get 50% OFF your first order and give your best friend the nutrition they deserve.
Health
Why Your DNA Doesn’t Decide Your Destiny
It’s easy to think your genetics are the final word on how long you’ll live or how healthy you’ll be. But research shows your everyday choices matter far more than your think, and potentially more than your DNA.
Environmental and lifestyle factors have nearly nine times more impact on aging and mortality than your genes.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly half a million adults over a 12-year period. They compared genetic risk scores for 22 major diseases with a wide range of environmental and lifestyle exposures.
Genetics explained less than 2 percent of the variation in mortality risk, while lifetime decisions such as physical activity and sleep reduced the likelihood of 17 diseases.
Overall, environmental and lifestyle factors explained 17 percent of health issues, with smoking alone affecting 21 different diseases. To put that into context, socioeconomic stressors (like income and housing instability) were tied to 19 diseases.
And when it comes to common health issues, heart, lung, and liver disease outcomes were far more influenced by the environment than by DNA.
The researchers concluded that daily behaviors and environmental factors can influence health trajectories, even in individuals who carry genetic risk. In other words, lifestyle isn’t just a form of prevention, it’s a powerful intervention.
So what does this mean for you? While you can’t change your genes, you can:
Move daily: even short bouts of activity protect your heart and lungs.
Prioritize sleep: 7 to 8 hours helps lower disease risk.
Build strong social connections: loneliness raises mortality risk.
Cut harmful habits: quitting smoking is one of the most impactful steps you can take.
Support your environment: where possible, reduce chronic stress and seek stability in your work, housing, and community.
Your genetics set the stage, but your choices write the story. Every walk, meal, night of sleep, and meaningful conversation can stack the odds in your favor.
Instant Health Boost
The Benefits Of A Good Old Fashioned Book
At this point, almost everyone has heard that scrolling through your phone before bed isn't good, but a controlled study reveals social media isn’t the only problem.
Researchers found that using light-emitting e-readers before bed significantly delays sleep onset, disrupts circadian timing, and reduces alertness the following morning.
In this crossover study, participants read on either a light-emitting eReader (iPad) or physical books for about 4 hours before bedtime over five consecutive nights each.
Those using the eReader took longer to fall asleep, experienced delayed and reduced REM sleep, and had significantly suppressed melatonin levels compared to reading physical books.
Participants felt less alert and more tired the following morning, suggesting the effects extend well beyond just falling asleep.
The fix for better sleep could be surprisingly simple: read a physical book 1 to 2 hours before bed.
If you must use a device, choose an e-reader without backlighting (such as a basic Kindle), enable night mode, or try blue light-blocking glasses. Most importantly, keep your bedroom dimly lit in the evening to signal your brain that it's time to wind down.
While this study was small and conducted in a lab setting, it suggests how your evening screen habits might be sabotaging your sleep and next-day performance.
Editor’s note: If you need a good book recommendation, check out Arnold’s most recent book (an instant #1 best-seller), or if you want better nutrition without all the stress and complicated restrictions, you won’t find a better option than this (I’m biased because I wrote it). -AB
Better Today
Take any of these tips from today’s email and put them into action:
Coffee and Gut Health: Coffee consumption appears to increase beneficial gut bacteria by 6 to 8 times compared to non-drinkers, with polyphenol-rich compounds feeding microbes that support digestion and reduce inflammation.
Your Daily Choices Matter 9x More Than DNA for Health and Longevity: Environmental and lifestyle factors have a greater impact on aging and mortality than genetics, with physical activity and sleep reducing disease risk across 17 conditions.
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Reading Physical Books Before Bed Improves Sleep Quality vs. Digital Devices: Using light-emitting devices like iPads before bedtime significantly delays sleep onset and reduces next-day alertness compared to reading physical books, potentially due to disrupted melatonin production and circadian timing.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
