Worst Health
Scourge
In the year when
Zika and ineffective
flu vaccines grabbed
headlines, it was
deaths from opioids
that blew up alarmingly.
Unintentional injuries
(about a third of which
are poisonings, includ-
ing drug overdoses)
are now the top cause
of death in men ages
25 to 44. Some guys
are hooked on heroin,
others on oxycodone.
The scariest part? Doc-
tors are still doling out
plenty of the latter.Most Exciting
New Health Trend
More and more lives
are being saved with
cancer immunother-
apy. These treatments
use your T-cells to
attack cancer, just
like they fight invad-
ing viruses. The Amer-
ican Society of Clinical
Oncology, getting a
jump on awards sea-
son, named immuno-
therapy its Advance of
the Year. We agree—
and in our Septem-
ber issue, we featuredthree guys who beat
cancer thanks to this
thrilling new weapon.Best Food Trend
Longtime MH readers
know we’ve been com-
plaining for decades
about deceptive food
packaging. (Remem-
ber our futile search
for the Keebler elves?
They’re a big lie.)
Well, finally the FDA
has responded with
food labels to make
things clearer for con-
sumers. The useless
“calories from fat” lan-
guage is gone. Serv-
ing sizes now actually
make sense. And a
new “added sugars”
category will appear—
much to the horror of
Birthday Cake Oreos.Best Comeback,
Gym Equipment
No, not the shake
weight. (But hang on
to yours, just in case.)
We’re talking about
fan-based cardio
machines, which
have been around for
decades but became
the biggest “new”
thing in fitness in
2016, thanks in part
to CrossFit. Because
of the exponential
nature of air resistance
provided by the fan,
these machines have
a unique ability to kick
your butt. The harder
you row or pedal, the
harder the machine
pushes back at you,
like a vindictive boss.
Try this quick-and-
hellish workout: Hop
on a fan bike, set its
computer to count
calories, and inciner-
ate as many as you
can in 60 seconds.Worst Blow to
Manliness
We’re all for dabbing a
little BB cream (“blem-
ish balm” or tinted
moisturizer) under our
eyes to hide dark cir-cles or a hangover.
But we draw the line
at mascara, powder
bronzer, and glossy
nails and lips—all con-
cepts that somehow
became acceptable
in men’s grooming
in 2016. Unless you’re
a glam rocker or a
drag queen, leave
the heavy-handed
makeup to Jared Leto.Most Miraculous
Sex Surgery
Thomas Manning, a
64-year-old from Mas-
sachusetts, became
the first U.S. man to
receive a penis trans-
plant. The original was
lost to cancer in 2012,
but after a 15-hour sur-
gery (at an estimated
cost of $50K to $75K;
the surgeons worked
for free), he now has aAs we look back on
2016, it’s tempting to
dwell on the negatives.
It was a year of record
heat, Zika, terror attacks,
and an election cycle
we’d all like to forget.
But there were high
points. Like, um...let’s
see. Cleveland was able
to cheer. Some guys
on the Olympic team
weren’t questioned by
the police. That was
cool. And, well...Bruce
went on tour and killed
it. So we have that.
But if we were to give
the year a hashtag,
it’d be either #savage
or #thestruggleisreal,
because it’s been both.
But then we’d stop
think ing about hash tags,
because we’re adults
with jobs who shouldn’t
be spending so much
time on social media.
Here’s what we were
left with. We’re really
looking forward to 2017.