The Checkup: Exercise Can Alter Your DNA

In a good way, of course.

• We all know exercise is good for your waistline, but did you know it’s good for your genes, too? TIME reports on a new study which found that through a (somewhat complicated) process going on in your cells, exercise actually prompts your DNA to turn on certain genes, helping muscles work better and more efficiently. You can read about the science over here, but let’s give a round of applause to the 14 study subjects who allowed researchers to take not one, but two muscle biopsies to collect data. Now that’s dedication to science, folks.

• Watch out if you eat anything that contains organic brown rice syrup or other rice products. A new study found that such foods can contain arsenic, a carcinogen that can wreak a world of damage, from skin irritation to infertility, according to the Associated Press. The reason? Rice absorbs arsenic in soil, and that arsenic, in turn, winds up in your food. The study found arsenic in two kinds of baby formulas (!!) as well as energy and cereal bars. Buyer beware.

• This is just funny. You know how our healthcare system is royally screwed up? NPR linked to a funny video that imagines what the world would be like if hospitals billed patients like hotels bill guests. Warning: the acting’s pretty terrible. But the message is spot-on.