Vitality Facts
13 articles per issue
Serving size1 article
Amount per serving
Reading minutes53
% of issue*
Know Your Numbers 4 articles 31%Nutrition 4 articles 31%Sleep & Energy 3 articles 23%Prevention 2 articles 15%* The share of our articles in each section. Not medical advice — talk to your own clinician about your results.
Know your numbers. Feel the difference.
Evidence-based everyday health: understanding your lab numbers, reading nutrition labels, sleep and energy, and the preventive screenings that matter at each age.
The Afternoon Energy Slump: Circadian Dip, Sleep Debt and What You Ate for Lunch
Why energy often drops in the early afternoon, how sleep debt and lunch composition make it worse, and practical ways to stay alert without relying on extra caffeine.
Know Your Numbers
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Know Your Numbers
The Metabolic Panel in Plain English: Kidney Numbers, Liver Enzymes and Electrolytes
Contains: What the basic and comprehensive metabolic panels measure, how to read creatinine, eGFR, ALT, AST, sodium and potassium, and common reasons for mildly abnormal values.
Know Your Numbers
A1C vs Fasting Glucose vs Glucose Tolerance Test: How Prediabetes Is Measured
Contains: What the A1C, fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance tests each measure, the cutoffs for prediabetes and diabetes, and why results can disagree.
Know Your Numbers
Your Lipid Panel Explained: LDL, HDL, Triglycerides and Non-HDL Cholesterol
Contains: What each number on a cholesterol test measures, the commonly used categories, why non-HDL and overall risk matter, and the questions to ask before deciding on treatment.
Know Your Numbers
How to Read a Complete Blood Count: Hemoglobin, MCV, White Cells and Platelets
Contains: A plain-English guide to the complete blood count (CBC): what each main value measures, typical reference ranges, why a single flagged number is often minor, and what to ask your clinician.
Nutrition
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Nutrition
Protein After 50: How Many Grams You Need and Why Spreading It Out Matters
Contains: Why many experts suggest older adults eat more protein than the standard RDA, how to calculate grams per kilogram, how to spread protein across meals, and food examples.
Nutrition
Getting 25 to 38 Grams of Fiber a Day Without the Bloating
Contains: How much fiber adults need, the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber, the best food sources, and a gradual plan to increase intake without digestive discomfort.
Nutrition
Sodium and the 2,300 mg Guideline: Where Most of It Comes From and How to Cut Back
Contains: Why the sodium guideline is 2,300 mg a day, why most sodium comes from packaged and restaurant food rather than the salt shaker, and practical ways to lower your intake.
Nutrition
Reading the Nutrition Facts Label: Serving Size, Percent Daily Value and Added Sugars
Contains: How to read a US Nutrition Facts label quickly: why serving size comes first, the 5% and 20% Daily Value shortcut, and how to use the added sugars, sodium and fiber lines.
Sleep & Energy
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Sleep & Energy
Deep Sleep, REM and Sleep Trackers: What Your Wearable Can and Can't Tell You
Contains: What the stages of sleep are, how much deep and REM sleep adults typically get, how wearables estimate them, and how to use tracker data without obsessing over it.
Sleep & Energy
Caffeine Half-Life and Sleep: When to Have Your Last Coffee
Contains: How long caffeine stays in your body, why an afternoon coffee can still affect sleep at night, how sensitivity varies between people, and practical cutoff times.
Prevention
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Prevention
Adult Preventive Screenings by Age: Blood Pressure, Colorectal, Breast, Cervical and Lung
Contains: A plain-English overview of commonly recommended US preventive screenings for adults, the ages they usually start, and how to discuss them with your clinician.
Prevention
How to Measure Blood Pressure at Home Correctly: Cuff Size, Position and Timing
Contains: A step-by-step method for accurate home blood pressure readings, the common mistakes that add 10 points or more, the current blood pressure categories, and how to share readings with your clinician.