What Every Guy With Freckles Needs to Know

Freckles get a bum rap, since many people associate them with less-than-stellar sun care.

But is your speckled skin really signaling that you’re at risk of sun damage or even skin cancer?

They may not mean what you think—find out to discover what’s spotting your skin, and how that may affect your health.

What Are Freckles, Really?
If you have ephelides, as they’re known medically, you’ve got Mom and Dad to thank.

Freckling is a recessive trait, so both parents have to be carriers and pass the tendency on for it to show up, says Amit Sharma, M.D., a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic, who researches dermatologic genetics.

The One Thing That Never Fails to Turn a Woman On

Ali Eaves, the Men’s Health Girl Next Door, takes all your questions on women, love, and lust.

What’s the one thing that never fails to light a woman’s fire? 
—Ben from Charleston, South Carolina

Sometimes my husband lets me “catch” him watching the dirty video we made on vacation in Jamaica a few years ago. It’s probably a ploy, but it works every time.

The idea that he’d rather look at me than one of those barely legal blondes on PornHub? Swoon.

But even if you’ve never filmed any sexy home movies together, the idea is this: Find a way to convey that it’s her that you want. Urgently.

Women love to feel wanted. Neuroscientist Ogi Ogas, Ph.D., once told Men’s Health that female sexual fantasies center on the feeling of being desired. That feeling can instantly trigger her arousal.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables Could Make You As Happy As Getting a Job

Science has found another reason to eat more fruits and vegetables—eating enough of them could make you a happier person, according to new Australian research.

More than 12,000 people were surveyed twice about how many fruits and vegetables they typically ate—once in 2007, and again in 2009.

During both of those surveys, the subjects also rated their overall life satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10.

Researchers looked at how each person’s fruit and vegetable consumption and happiness changed over those two years, and found that with each extra serving of fruits and vegetables people ate, the happier they felt.

How Much Protein Can Your Muscles Absorb In One Sitting?

It would seem logical that the more protein you pack away during a meal, the bigger your muscles would grow.

But your body doesn’t work that way. There’s a certain amount of protein your muscles can absorb in one sitting.

“Skeletal muscle protein synthesis is maximized by 25 to 35 grams of high-quality protein during a meal,” says Doug Paddon-Jones, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

“Protein synthesis” is basically a fancy way of saying “building and repairing muscle.” Exercise creates microtears in your muscles. The harder you work, the more tears. Protein helps repair these tears, causing your muscles to grow bigger and stronger.

5 Surprising Reasons You’re Suddenly Broke

You’ve learned from experience that shopping for food on an empty stomach is a bad idea. (Nothing like handing empty bags of chips to the cashier.)

But buying clothes when you’re hungry is even worse for your wallet, finds recent research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Feeling hungry fires up your brain’s “acquisition” system, the study authors say. Think of it as your “I need something” reflex: Even though the thing you need is food, that reflex makes you more likely to spend money on non-food items, the study shows

The Scary Truth About Lyme Disease

Michael Radonich remembers the day he got Lyme disease: It was late August 2012, the beginning of his first semester at the Wharton School in Philadelphia. He and his classmates had boarded buses for a day of ropes courses and bonding activities at a campground in the Pennsylvania woods.

About two weeks later, Radonich suddenly awoke to shooting pains in his scalp, as if someone had clipped electrodes to his temples. His heart rate began fluttering between 60 and 140 beats per minute. His experienced severe double vision, and then the left side of his body went numb. He was 28 years old, much too young to be having a stroke.

Science Just Discovered a Strange Link Between Naps and Diabetes

Pull your head out from under the covers: Taking long naps might increase your risk of heart problems and diabetes, a new meta-analysis presented at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Annual Scientific Session suggests.

After analyzing data on more than 300,000 people from 21 different studies, the researchers concluded that people who napped more than 60 minutes a day—and who reported high levels of daytime fatigue—were about 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who napped for less than an hour a day.

The Easy Way to Help Her Orgasm Every Time

Let her mind wander: Fantasizing during sex may help her orgasm, finds a recent Belgian study.

Women who reported regularly experiencing the big O were more likely to imagine sexy scenarios while getting it on than those who had trouble finishing.

It’s possible that her erotic thoughts help keep her focused on feeling good, the researchers say. Women who have a hard time getting off tend to be more distracted during sex, according to the paper, while those who orgasm easily may be more tuned into their sensations.