Weekly Advice from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Take any of these tips from today’s e-mail and put them into action:

Scientists reviewed human studies and found that polyphenol-rich foods — green tea, cocoa, berries, and citrus — along with omega-rich fats from fatty fish, flaxseed, and avocado, and carotenoid-dense foods like tomatoes and leafy greens, were each significantly associated with improvements in skin hydration, wrinkle appearance, elasticity, and barrier function. Researchers used statistical methods specifically designed to screen out publication bias. Maybe surprisingly, oral collagen, the supplement most aggressively marketed for skin, was one category that failed that test, with its evidence base flagged as the most compromised in the entire review. The foods with the strongest, cleanest evidence for skin health are the same ones worth eating for metabolic health, cardiovascular function, and longevity.

A widely shared study claiming fish oil improved stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, and memory simultaneously across 64 adults has significant methodological problems: the "placebo" was corn oil, which competes with omega-3s metabolically and likely disadvantaged the control group. Also, all five outcomes relied entirely on self-reported questionnaires with no objective measurements. The study was also conducted in a population with historically low omega-3 intake, meaning the results may reflect what happens when a deficiency is corrected rather than what a typical person would experience from adding fish oil to a reasonably varied diet. The actual evidence base is more measured but still real: a meta-analysis of 23 trials found that roughly 1 gram of EPA+DHA daily was linked to a moderate reduction in anxiety symptoms, and a separate 19-trial analysis found similar associations with mood, likely because omega-3s influence how neurotransmitters, including serotonin, operate in the brain. If seafood isn't a regular part of your diet, 1–2 grams of EPA+DHA daily from a third-party certified source is a reasonable, evidence-supported addition, but fish oil's value is specific and conditional, not comprehensive.

Research tracking daily social interactions found that people reported greater happiness and a stronger sense of belonging on days when they had more exchanges with acquaintances — people they recognized but didn't know well — independent of what was happening in their close relationships. A follow-up study found that even the most minimal interactions, like a greeting or a thank-you, were associated with greater life satisfaction, and the study's design pointed toward the interactions causing the boost rather than simply reflecting it. The proposed mechanism is both physical and psychological: brief positive exchanges appear to signal environmental safety to the nervous system, lowering the baseline stress response and distributing social needs across a broader network rather than concentrating them on one or two relationships.