As we age, we often worry about the declining functionality of our bodies, from our memories to our ability to run after our grandchildren. But something we don't often give much thought to is our sense of smell. That's too bad because it's fairly common for the sense of smell to decline with age. This can lead to decreased quality of life, as our sense of smell plays a major role in our perception of taste. And its loss can even be dangerous – imagine being unable to smell smoke or a gas leak. 

When it comes to general health advice, reducing your stress level tends to be right up there with exercising and eating right. Doctors typically want you to keep the stress hormone cortisol under control. That's because elevated cortisol can affect your immune system, memory, and weight, among other things. Relaxing and managing stress is certainly a good idea, but as with most of our hormones, when it comes to cortisol, one extreme may be just as dangerous as another. 

You've probably heard quite a bit lately about the importance of your gut health. Research in this area is exploding, and for good reason. The more we learn about gut bacteria, the more links we find between these microscopic creatures and every other facet of our health. So it's not surprising that one of those links is close to home for the gut. A healthy gut can lead to a healthy colon, reducing the risk of colon cancer.