You’re probably familiar with subcutaneous fat – the type of fat that settles under your skin that you can pinch. It usually accumulates in the thighs, hips, belly and buttocks. And you may have heard of visceral fat, the type that settles in the abdomen and wraps around internal organs.  

Do you love spending time in the sun? It’s important that all of us do because sunlight as it helps kill bacteria, elevate your mood, lower stress and produce vitamin D, which strengthen bones, supports the immune system and improves sleep. Studies suggest that vitamin D supplements are not as effective as vitamin D from sun exposure.

How many cups of coffee do you drink a day? How many sodas or energy drinks? 

If it’s a lot, you may also be consuming too much caffeine. Four cups of coffee or two energy drinks can have more than the recommended daily allowance of caffeine, which is 400 mgs. And drinking more than that can have consequences for your health.

Even if you drink less, caffeine can cause challenges, especially if you take prescription or over-the-counter medications.

The FDA classifies caffeine as a food additive and a drug. Like any of either classification, there are benefits and downsides. Researchers continue to study caffeine, but they’re research has often been controversial and contradictory when it comes to its benefits for or detrimental impact on our health. That’s because our body’s relationship with caffeine is complicated as it is with many drugs.

Many of us can relate to German composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach when he said: “Without my morning coffee, I'm just like a dried-up piece of roast goat."

Most of us feel that way because the country seemingly runs on caffeine: 93 percent of Americans consume caffeinated beverages, 75 percent drink them at least once a day, and 25 percent knock back three or more caffeinated beverages daily.

Drs.

You’re probably aware getting enough sleep is essential to overall health and well-being. Sleep helps lower blood pressure and inflammation, regulate metabolism and insulin uptake and reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke. This is why sleep deprivation is linked to obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammation and weakened immunity.

Many Americans use self-monitoring technology such as pedometers, continuous glucose monitors, heart rate monitors and home blood pressure machines. In fact, Informa Tech Target reports that roughly 40 percent of American adults use healthcare-related apps and 35 percent are wearing devices — 92 percent of smartwatch users use their device specifically to track health data, according to study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

It’s not news that heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death worldwide. However, what is new is the connection found between heart disease and breast cancer, a leading form of cancer.

2025 ushered in a potential major public health change. On January 3, 2025, Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, United States surgeon general, released Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, a document that explains how alcohol consumption increases the chances of developing cancer.