A new study out of Germany's Max Planck Institute found that men who marry younger women tend to live longer. If a man marries a woman between 15 and 17 years his junior, his chances of dying early are cut by 1/5. The risk of premature death is reduced by 11 percent if he marries a woman seven to nine years younger. Interestingly, the study also found that men marrying older women are more likely to die early.

The study also suggests that women don't experience the same benefits of marrying a man either younger or older. Wives with husbands older or younger by between seven and nine years increase their chances of dying early by 20 percent. If the age difference is 15 to 17 years, this rises to 30 percent.

Researchers say that the figures for men could be the result of natural selection, and that only the healthiest, most successful older men are able to attract a younger mate.

Hospital Is Using Popular Video Service to Promote Health and Wellness

The Cleveland Clinic has announced that they will be offering free weekly health tips via YouTube. The first video released is on walking for good health. The press release stated:

"Cleveland Clinic is committed to offering patients the most up-to-date information available, and the advent of video sharing sites makes this even more possible," said C. Martin Harris, M.D., Chief Information Officer, Cleveland Clinic. "Internet users can view videos 24 hours a day, and they have the opportunity to share these videos with their friends and family."

You can subscribe to world famous health care provider's videos at the following link http://www.youtube.com/clevelandclinic/.

Here is the an example of one of their free videos that they offering:

Men's Health Magazine has named Cleveland the second most sleep deprived city in the United States in their latest issue on newstands now. The only city that Cleveland is getting more sleep thab us is Miami according the article. Philadelphia and Orlando are also sleep deprived according the magazine.The survey took into account how much we snore (guilty on this account), sleeping pills, and how much tv is watched during latenight hours (hey-we weren't the ones that scheduled the Browns on primetime 3 times this season).

The most rested cities are (likely a code-word for boring) are Madison, WI, followed by Sioux Falls, SD; Montgomery, AL; and Wichita, KS. After reading the results, I think I need a nap

Agh, the benefits of having an influential area news website. Earlier this week, I was able to attend a great rock concert and an event that featured a number of music industry heavyweights. While those events might sound like a lot of fun, the most useful thing that came my way was an email from CVS which gave me the heads up to promote the drug store giving out flu shots at Cleveland area stores. After I wrote about the area stores who are offering the service, the good people at CVS offered a free flu shot at one of the stores and, considering I lived within walking distance to the store that was giving them out tonight, I decided to take them up on the offer. The pharmacist at the Berea CVS, Nancy Yates, was more than helpful to see that my needs were served in the store.

As the weather is beginning to turn and the holiday season gets ever so nearer, we are once again reminded of one of the perils of the season - the flu. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that all children between the ages of 6 months and 19-years-old, adults 50 and older, and those who work in the healthcare industry get an annual flu shot. If you do not fall into one of those categories, it still can't hurt to get one.

CVS offers flu shots without an appointment at more than 500 MinuteClinic locations and during flu shot clinic events in select CVS pharmacy stores nationwide. Consumers are encouraged to call 1-888-FLU-SHOT or go to www.cvs.com to view a list of flu shot clinics available.

Flu shots at CVS pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations are just $30 and may be covered by insurance.

Here's a list of upcoming flu shot clinic events in the greater Cleveland area:

November 4:

Mayfield Heights, 1451 Som Center Rd. (440) 937-4027 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

South Euclid, 4469 Mayfield Rd. (216) 382-6780. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

November 5:

Berea, 212 West Bagley Rd. (440) 243-6676 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Mayfield Heights, 5901 Mayfield Rd. (440) 646-1555 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

When it comes to ticking biological clocks, it's women that first spring to mind. Sure, advancements in science have made it possible for women to conceive beyond age 40, but not without increased risks and concerns. But now, it seems men too may have reason to worry about their own reproductive window of opportunity.

Stephanie Belloc, a researcher for the Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Paris, discovered that age is an important factor in the quality of men's sperm. The research team issued a news release in which they reported to have "found that the age of the father was important in pregnancy rates - men over 40 had a negative effect. And, perhaps, more surprisingly, miscarriage rates incrased where the father was over 40."

This latest research seems to have thrown a monkeywrench into the conventional wisdom that men can have babies just about any time they want, and puts a new spin on the older man/younger woman matchups. According to Belloc, "This research has important implications for couples wanting to start a family."

Researchers are now warning that men who take Viagra could be putting their fertility at risk. According to a study conducted by Queen's University, the prescription drug could harm sperm and reduce its ability to fertilize an egg.

Furthermore, the scientists claim that fertility clinics prescribing the drug to men could actually be reducing their chances of fathering a child.

Dr. David Glenn, who led the research, said:

"It is worrying that some IVF clinics are using Viagra in order to boost fertility results. Couples who go there for treatment are, by definition, already having problems getting pregnant. Viagra may simply be making these worse. Giving male partners something that could make the problem worse is scarcely the right approach."

Dr. Glenn and his team of researchers arrived at these conclusions following a study in which they bathed human sperm in a Viagra solution to give the same exposure as seen in the blood of a man after taking the pill. While they found that the Viagra made the sperm more active than when it was not exposed to the drug, they also found that it damaged the acrosome - a cap-like structure that contains the chemicals needed for the sperm to break into an egg.

Cleveland Clinic has been doing research to look at how cell phone use may affect fertility. The conclusion: high cell phone use in males may lead to decreased sperm count, as well as a higher percentage of "abnormal" sperm.

"Our results show a strong association of cell phone use with decreased semen quality. However, they do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship," lead researcher Dr. Ashok Agarwal told Reuters.

Radiation emitted by handsets may be the cause of the damage.

"There was a significant decrease in the most important measures of sperm health with cell phone use and that should definitely be reflected in a decrease in fertility" added Agarwal.

According to the results of a new study by an international team of researchers from the United States and Canada, men who consume a high amount of sugary drinks have an increased risk of developing gout. Gout is common amongst men over age 40, and is caused by an excess level of uric acid in blood.

For men with gout, high levels of uric acid thus lead to the deposit of crystals around joints, which results in swelling and intense pain. One of the most commonly affect joints by gout is the knee.

In this study, researchers examined 46,000 men age 40 and older over the course of 12 years. At the beginning of the study all of the men were healthy, and none had any history of gout. Over the 12 years, the men were quizzed about their dietary habits, with particular attention being paid to soft drinks and other sugary drinks.

During the follow-up period of 12 years, there were 755 new cases of gout in the group of men.

What the researchers found was that the risk of gout increased when men consumed at least five to six servings of sugary drinks per week. Those who trank more than two servings per day were at an 85% increased risk of developing gout.

Some fruits high in fructose, which many of us don't think as unhealthy or bad, were seen to increase the risk of gout. These would include apples and oranges, which double your risk of developing gout.

These risks of developing gout were seen to be independent of other factors, including age, high blood pressure, alcohol intake, diuretic use, body mass index, and diet.

When we think of steroid use, the first thing that comes to mind are professional sports players who use steroids to gain an edge on their opponents. Instead, according to a new report issued by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the average American steroid user is a white male around age 30 who's educated, earns an above average income, and is not particularly athletic. In fact, the report revealed that most men abused steroids in order to look better.

"In total, our findings belie the images of (steroid) users as mostly risk-taking teenagers, cheating athletes, and a group akin to traditional drug abusers," said Jack Darkes of the University of South Florida, Tampa, and co-investigators.

Researchers recruited 1955 male steroid users for the study from websites dedicated to strength training and muscle-enhancing substances, mass emails, and print media. The men thus completed surveys on their background, lifestyle habits, and history of their steroid use.