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Why is it more difficult for women to lose weight, and easier for us to gain weight, as we hit midlife? Let's figure it out. 

While changing hormone levels play a role, a major culprit in midlife weight gain is the loss of muscle mass that naturally comes with aging, a condition called sarcopenia. If you're physically inactive, you can lose as much as three to five percent of your muscle mass each decade after age 30. 

So unless we take action to preserve and build lean muscle mass, the lost muscle is replaced by fat, our bodies require fewer calories (muscle burns more calories than fat), and...

We know sleep is important to our well-being. But getting it can be challenging. Stress, caffeine and poor work/life balance can interfere a restful night. But sleep apnea — a serious, potentially life-threatening disorder — can also be the culprit. 

One of the chief causes of non-restful sleep is snoring – an issue in which its potential seriousness is underrated. Snoring occurs when the muscles in our airway relax and collapse, causing a narrowing in the throat and the rear of the mouth. As air flows past the relaxed tissue, it vibrates, causing a coarse or harsh sound. 

When that tissue...

The secret to this salad is in the dressing. Enjoy. This Simply Salad contest winning dish was submitted by Dominika Schmid, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

• Salad
• 2 c. spring mix
• 1 small can of corn
• 1/2 c. feta cheese
• 1 c. cherry tomatoes
• Additional items: peppers, cucumber, avocado, nasturtium flowers
• Dressing
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• Pinch of salt
• 1 t balsamic vinegar
• 2 T olive oil

Directions

Put greens in the bowl. Add other items and mix with dressing right before serving. For the dressing, mince garlic, add salt and Dijon mustard and stir. Add balsamic...

UMass Memorial Health is debunking myths about osteoporosis. Unlike mammograms and colonoscopies, osteoporosis and bone density tests don’t get as much airtime or visibility. As a result, we’ve heard myths about the disease and screenings, and we want to set the record straight. 

Myth: I don’t have any risk factors, so I don’t need to be screened. 

You may think you don’t have any risk factors for osteoporosis, but in addition to the ones below, there are other diseases, medications and procedures that contribute to your bones weakening. 

Common risk factors:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Smoking
• Excessive...