Fitness Studios Banning Plastic, What Does It Cost? Coffee You Need To Be Drinking & Financing Research With Postal Stamps

1. How much caffeine should you actually be drinking?

According to new research, there is in fact an “ideal” caffeine dosage for optimizing alertness—and there’s now an algorithm that can compute that for you. “We found that by using our algorithm, which determines when and how much caffeine a subject should consume, we can improve alertness by up to 64 percent, while consuming the same total amount of caffeine,” said principal investigator and senior author Jaques Reifman, PhD. “Alternatively, a subject can reduce caffeine consumption by up to 65 percent and still achieve equivalent improvements in alertness.” Who’s ready for a cup of coffee? (Science Daily)

2. This U.S. postal stamp is making waves in breast cancer research.

Funding for research goes a long way, and the U.S. Postal Service’s breast cancer stamp is a prime example of that. Thanks to the money raised from these stamps, researchers were able to discover groundbreaking information about breast cancer: Now, genetic testing can be done to determine which women need chemotherapy and which do not. Three cheers for that. (STAT)

3. This major fitness brand is banning plastic water bottles.

Xponential Fitness—the parent company of popular boutique workouts like AKT, RowHouse, Club Pilates, and CycleBar—is starting to ban the sale of plastic water bottles across its locations globally. Boutique classes almost always offer single-use bottles, so this change is exciting and bodes well for the future of eco-friendly fitness. (mindbodygreen)

4. Are beards a turn-off or turn-on?

According to a new survey, 43% of women wouldn’t sleep with a man with a beard. The public had various reactions to the subject, from thinking beards were especially attractive to finding them an utter turn-off (cultural background, of course, played a significant role). (The Guardian)

5. The soda industry is taking on local state governments.

The soda industry is supercharging its legislative action to prevent local governments from levying taxes on food and beverages. The pushback from major corporations comes on the heels of general public health concerns tied to sugar intakes via these beverages. According to Insight Grocery Business, Michigan and Arizona are two recent states were the bills have been signed into law. (Food Dive)

6. Eleven million Americans might be taking the wrong blood pressure meds.

According to new research released by the Stanford University School of Medicine, doctors are using an outdated equation to determine whether someone needs statins or blood pressure medication, which puts over 11 million Americans at risk for over- or under-medicaton. (Science Daily)