DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Since I turned 40, my clinic has been sending me a slew of reminders about men's health screenings. Are they really necessary?

ANSWER: Yes! Blocking out some time for these important health screenings is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

Historically, men have been hesitant to seek medical attention when something seems wrong with their health. Also, they aren't as likely as women to have preventive screenings and checkups. This is a problem because early detection is the best way to effectively treat and manage a medical issue. 

If you're reluctant about seeing a healthcare professional, rethink your hesitation. Delaying or avoiding a checkup or screening could lead to a treatable situation turning deadly. Here are the exams and screenings to add to your to-do list for a healthy life.

Regular physical exams. Males older than 50 should have a yearly physical exam, and those younger than 50 should have a physical exam every three to five years.

A regular exam isn't just about screenings. It can validate that you're healthy, and it's your chance to ask your healthcare professional about issues or symptoms that are bothering you. For instance, if you're having issues with erectile dysfunction, this could be a symptom of coronary artery disease. The sooner it's addressed, the better for your overall health.

Vaccines are also essential to prevent infectious diseases. Vaccinations for men are administered at different intervals throughout adulthood. 

Health isn't only physical, so talk with your healthcare team about your mental and emotional health. If you're struggling in those areas, effective help is available. 

While you may only need to get some screenings once, such as HIV and hepatitis C, you should have screenings for certain conditions and cancers regularly. Keep in mind that earlier and more regular screening is recommended for all these conditions if you're at higher risk.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm. Because the aorta is the body's main supplier of blood, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding. Men 65 to 75 who have used tobacco products should undergo a one-time ultrasound screening. Those over 60 with a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm should consider repeat screening at regular intervals. 

Colon cancer. Experts advise that most adults at average risk begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45. Several screening tests are available, including stool-based tests and exams that look directly at the colon. Each test has different benefits, risks and testing schedules. But if you experience symptoms, don't wait to get screened.

Diabetes. If you're older than 35, you should have an initial blood sugar test. No matter your age, if you have a body mass index above 25 and additional risk factors, such as high blood pressure or a family member with diabetes, you should be screened. Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes symptoms can develop slowly and may not be noticeable. 

Blood pressure. A blood pressure reading is a good indication of many aspects of your health. High blood pressure can lead to other physical problems, especially heart-related conditions. Beginning at age 18, you should have your blood pressure checked at least every two years, and every year if you're at risk for high blood pressure and after you turn 40.  

Cholesterol. Like high blood pressure, high cholesterol may pose serious risks to your health and well-being. Starting at age 17, men at average risk for heart disease should have a cholesterol screening every four to six years and more frequently over age 40. If you have conditions such as high blood pressure and/or diabetes, a family history of high cholesterol or heart attacks, smoke, eat a poor diet, are overweight, have diabetes or are physically inactive, you should be tested more often.

Prostate cancer. Around age 50, talk with your healthcare professional about prostate cancer screening. Together, you can decide whether screening is right for you. If you're Black, have a family history of prostate cancer or have other risk factors, consider screening earlier.

Lung cancer. If you have an increased risk of lung cancer, consider yearly screening, which uses low-dose CT scans. If you smoked heavily for many years, your healthcare professional may recommend lung cancer screening at age 50 and older. Screening is also offered to people who have quit smoking in the past 15 years. Discuss your lung cancer risk with your healthcare professional to decide if lung cancer screening is right for you.

Do yourself and your family a favor by protecting your health with regular checkups and screenings. Add to that exercise and managing your body weight, mental health and stress, all of which are part of keeping you healthy.

Mohammed Solaiman, M.D., Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Minnesota

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What started as a way to stay active and take his mind off a rare diagnosis became a mission for Christopher Edgerton. 

For three weeks this summer, he'll be cycling all 21 stages of the Tour de France one week ahead of the professional race in a 2,000-plus-mile event to raise awareness for blood cancers. 

Watch: A rare diagnosis fuels one man's cycling mission to complete pre-Tour de France event 

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (2:45) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script. 

"I think when you're on a bike, you have to live in the moment," says Christopher. "You've got to keep your eyes on the road, but at the same time, you've got a lot of time in your own head."  

For Christopher, cycling became more than an escape. It gave him space to process and heal. 

"I had my annual visit to the doctors," Christopher says about a 2018 visit. He remembers being asked if there was anything else. "I would have said, 'No, no, I'm fine,' but I just felt a little bit tired. So (my doctor) sent me for some (bloodwork). When I saw the results, they were all red. I sort of knew enough to be dangerous. I knew it wasn't good." 

"Chris has a very rare diagnosis called Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia," says Dr. Sikander Ailawadhi, a Mayo Clinic oncologist. "It could range from numbness or tingling in hands or feet to cancer-type tumors or the blood becomes so thick, it can lead to clots and cause strokes, heart attack, etc."  

"It's not curable, but it's treatable," says Christopher. "I sort of came to terms with the idea of: 'You've got a second chance at life.'"  

His care team built a plan around what mattered most to him. 

"He wanted limited-duration treatment, something that gave him his quality of life, his independence," says Dr. Ailawadhi.  

Christopher turned to cycling, pushing himself physically and mentally. A year after his diagnosis and buying a bike, he rode from Los Angeles to Boston and raised more than $50,000 for Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia research. 

"I felt like I needed to do something to prove I wasn't done," says Christopher.  

"He has his disease under very good control," says Dr. Ailawadhi. "He's not requiring active treatment right now, but that could change. He can travel, he can do what he wants to do and excels in his passion," says Dr. Ailawadhi.  

Now, he’s taking that passion even further, riding the full route of the 2026 Tour de France one week ahead of the professional race in an event that raises awareness for blood cancers. On June 27, he will begin riding from Barcelona, Spain, to Paris, France. The 21-stage event spans more than 2,000 miles and 175,000 feet of total elevation.

"Each day I'm going to ride for somebody," he says. "Each day I can tell somebody's story." 

And for Christopher, every mile comes with a reminder of what matters most. 

"I'm just very conscious about time," he says. "Everybody's limited on time, and I want to feel like I can get as much out of the time I've got." 

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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A good friend was diagnosed with lupus. Can you tell me more about it, how it's treated and if there are new options that could make a difference in her quality of life?

ANSWER: Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. The exact cause isn't fully understood, but it likely involves a combination of genetic, environmental and immune system factors.

What makes lupus especially challenging is that it can affect many different organ systems — including the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and lungs — and may look different from one person to another. Infections, certain medicines or even sunlight can trigger the condition.

Lupus is more common in women — particularly between the ages of 15 and 45 — but it can occur at any age. Symptoms can vary widely and look like other diseases, making it difficult to recognize. Lupus causes swelling and inflammation that can affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

Symptoms

The most-common symptoms are:

• Tiredness.
• Fever.
• Joint pain, stiffness and swelling.
• Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose, or rashes on other parts of the body that get worse when in the sun.
• Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when cold or during times of stress.
• Shortness of breath.
• Chest pain.
• Headaches, confusion and memory loss.

For some people, these symptoms come on suddenly; for others, they appear slowly. They may be active for a short time or become long-lasting. People may experience intense flare-ups that fade over time. When symptoms resolve, the person is considered in remission.

Because symptoms can be vague and overlap with other conditions, lupus can take time to diagnose. Sometimes it's detected through abnormal blood tests, such as anemia or changes in kidney function. When making a diagnosis, clinicians consider a person's symptoms, blood tests and, in some cases, biopsy results.

Treatment

Currently, there's no cure for lupus, so care focuses on customized therapies for each patient's symptoms and to prevent organ damage. Most therapies work by suppressing the immune system. Common treatments include medications such as:

• Prednisone, a corticosteroid, to quickly reduce inflammation.
• Hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, as a long-term therapy.
• Medications tailored to protect the affected organs.

While these treatments control symptoms for many patients, they typically need to remain on medication long term.

For those with moderate to severe or treatment-resistant lupus, these treatments may not be enough, and over time, can increase the risk of infection and other side effects. A key goal is to develop targeted, long-lasting treatments.

One emerging area of lupus treatment research is chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy). CAR-T cell therapy is used most often to treat cancers that affect blood cells. It's now being studied for autoimmune diseases such as lupus.

In lupus, certain immune cells, called B cells, play a central role. Current therapies that target B cells often provide only temporary or partial benefits.

CAR-T cell therapy for lupus takes a different approach. It involves:

• Collecting a patient's own immune cells.
• Engineering them in a lab to recognize and attack B cells.
• Returning them to the body after a brief course of chemotherapy.

The goal is to more effectively eliminate B cells throughout the body and potentially provide a longer-lasting response.

Early clinical trials of CAR-T cell therapy in patients with severe, treatment-resistant lupus have shown promising results. In small studies, some patients have achieved remission and were able to reduce or stop other lupus medications.

However, these results are still preliminary and limited to a small group of patients. Researchers also are continuing to study the safety of this therapy and how long the benefits may last.

While lupus remains a lifelong condition, treatment options continue to improve. Current therapies can help many people manage symptoms and achieve remission. Emerging treatments like CAR-T cell therapy offer hope for more targeted, long-lasting solutions in the future.

Uma Thanarajasingam, M.D., Ph.D., Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

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11 Mayo Clinic hospitals again earn high ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for overall hospital quality. 

Every day at Mayo Clinic, staff come together to deliver what matters most, safe, high-quality care centered on the patient. The latest ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show the results of that work.

"For more than 160 years, one thing has remained constant, the patient in front of us guides how we deliver care," says Sean Dowdy, M.D., Mayo Clinic's chief value officer. "Behind every measure is a patient story, a moment of reassurance, a life improved through seamless teamwork. This recognition reflects our staff and their shared commitment to safety, quality and the patient experience."

Across Mayo Clinic, physicians, nurses, allied health staff and support teams contribute to a system where safety and quality are not separate initiatives, but how care is delivered every day. 

That approach is reflected in the patient experience, in the moments when a nurse takes extra time to explain, when families feel reassured during uncertainty, and when teams work seamlessly to deliver care.

It also reflects the trust patients and families have in choosing Mayo Clinic in times of vulnerability and relying on care delivered with compassion, dignity and consistency across every setting.

"These ratings reflect more than performance on a set of measures," says Subashnie Devkaran, Ph.D., chair of Quality and Value at Mayo Clinic. "They represent the experiences of patients and families who place their trust in Mayo Clinic during times of need." 

The CMS overall hospital quality star ratings offer a national snapshot of that performance across key areas, including mortality, safety, readmissions, patient experience, and timely, effective care.

Across the organization, 11 Mayo Clinic hospitals earned four- and five-star ratings for overall hospital quality. Eight hospitals achieved five stars, the highest possible rating, and three hospitals received four stars. The national average is three stars.

Hospitals earning five stars

• Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona. 
• Mayo Clinic Hospital in Florida. 
• Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, Minnesota. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minnesota.
  

Hospitals earning four stars

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing, Minnesota.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Bloomer, Wisconsin.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Barron, Wisconsin. 

While many organizations measure healthcare quality, these ratings reflect the people behind them, the teams who coordinate care, double-check details, speak up for safety and keep patients at the center of every decision.

At Mayo Clinic, the results are not the goal, but evidence of a culture carried forward by staff every day, with a continued commitment to improving care for the patients who depend on it.

Related post:

• Eight years running: Newsweek names Mayo Clinic ‘World’s Best Hospital’

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Eight Mayo Clinic hospitals have maintained A grades from the Leapfrog Group since spring 2022, reflecting consistent high performance across national quality measures.

At Mayo Clinic, it’s not a single achievement, it reflects a sustained pattern of performance.

Patients may see a letter. What they are really seeing is a commitment to putting the patient first, every time. Because at Mayo Clinic, safety is not a score to achieve. It is a way to practice.

It looks like:

• A nurse who double-checks, even when she’s certain.
• A physician who pauses and asks one more question.
• A housekeeper who knows infection prevention is part of patient care.
• A team that doesn’t work in parallel, but in lockstep.

Over time, those choices add up. And they show up, again and again, in the Leapfrog Safety Grades.

Grade A hospitals

Eight Mayo Clinic hospitals again earned an "A" from The Leapfrog Group this spring.

Not once. Not occasionally. Every grading cycle since spring 2022. 

And in Arizona, something even rarer. A perfect record. An "A" in every cycle since 2012, when Leapfrog began assigning safety grades — earning an all-time Straight A Distinction. One of just 11 hospitals in the country to do so.

Leapfrog evaluates hospitals using 32 measures across multiple domains: structure, process and outcomes.

Important, yes. But behind every measure is something harder to quantify.

It reflects consistency, discipline, and a shared belief that safe care isn’t situational. It is standard.

As Dr. William J. Mayo said, "The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered."

You can see that idea in these results. Not as a principle alone, but as a practice, carried out in thousands of decisions, every day.

The hospitals earning an "A"

• Mayo Clinic in Arizona 
• Mayo Clinic in Florida 
• Mayo Clinic in Rochester 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, Minnesota 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minnesota 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota 

Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing, Minnesota received a "B."

Related post:

• Eight years running: Newsweek names Mayo Clinic ‘World’s Best Hospital’

The post What does it take to earn and keep ‘A’ for safety appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Zajac demonstrates the best pre-golf resistant exercises.
 
Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:04) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
 

Resistance training

 Mayo Clinic doesn't just advise golfers on resistance exercises and strength. For 25 years, it has served as the official medical sponsor of the WM Phoenix Open, providing on-site care for athletes, event staff and spectators. Supporting one of the world's largest golf events, from heat-related illness to musculoskeletal injuries, reflects deep expertise in both prevention and knowing when specialized care is needed.
 
Resistance training is essential for golfers. It strengthens muscles, ligaments and tendons while improving core stability, mobility and functional strength. These benefits can translate into better swing control, more consistent contact and improved endurance throughout 18 holes. Just as important, targeted strength work helps protect the lower back, shoulders and wrists — areas commonly affected by golf-related injuries.
 

Golf exercises to consider

Zajac recommends focusing on three key areas:

• Rotator cuff and shoulder (rows/scapular strengthening): Strengthening the upper back and shoulder stabilizers supports posture and helps control the club throughout the swing.
• Core (plank and side plank): A strong core improves rotational stability and balance, allowing for more efficient power transfer while reducing strain on the spine.
• Glutes and legs (bridge exercises): Golf is played on one leg at a time. Building lower-body strength and balance enhances stability during the swing and helps generate power from the ground up.

 Perform these exercises on non-golf days two to three times per week. A consistent strength routine can help you stay steady, swing with confidence and avoid a season-ending bogey. 

Related post:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Are the yips just nerves or something more?

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Each year, Mayo Clinic donates over 53,000 pounds of food to Community Food Response in Rochester, Minnesota, reducing waste and supporting local people in need. 

Three days a week, Community Food Response volunteers fill paper bags with food retrieved from all over Rochester, Minnesota. By 3:30 p.m., cars stretch down the city block. Some people arrive on foot, often from nearby homeless shelters.  

Each bag contains enough food for three meals for three people. Typically, at least one item — a salad, a sandwich, a bottle of milk — is from Mayo Clinic.  

"We want to get food to people in need rather than into the waste stream," says Aaron Clark, manager of Food Service Operations at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "This is our way to extend Mayo values into the community."

His team uses forecasting tools to anticipate Mayo Clinic's food needs and reduce waste. Still, some surplus is inevitable. Community Food Response simplifies sharing it with neighbors.  

On distribution days, drivers pick up prepared, fresh and frozen foods from nearly two dozen local places — restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals, caterers. Last year, Mayo contributed over 53,000 pounds of food to the organization. 

A recent Mayo Community Contributions grant also helped Community Food Response purchase new freezers, coolers, food packaging and other necessities, ensuring the collaboration can continue.   

Bringing healing through meals  

Community Food Response began in 1993 after a Mayo physician and Rochester restauranteur asked, "What happens to the city's leftovers?" Their curiosity led to a grassroots effort that now feeds hundreds of people in the local community.  

By some estimates, 1 in 5 Minnesota households struggle with food access. In 2025, food security was named a priority area in Olmsted County's Community Health Needs Assessment for the first time.  

From logistical to financial, "there are many reasons for food insecurity," says Chris Tatting, board president for Community Food Response and a hospital operations manager at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "Whether someone is food insecure for several years or one week, we can help." 

For Mayo Clinic, this offers an opportunity to meet an everyday need while supporting long-term health. "The best healthcare we can provide is preventing diseases if possible. Nutrition plays a big role in that," says Dr. Sara Bonnes, medical director for Food and Nutrition Services at Mayo Clinic. "This isn't just about access to food — it's about access to nourishing food."   

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Community Food Response volunteers, some of whom are Mayo staff members, have the privilege of providing that.   

On a recent weeknight, a woman in the food line shared that she was fleeing domestic violence. Due to her health, she could only eat liquids, so the team packed up nutritious drinks, soups, yogurts and juices.  

"She cried. I cried," a Community Food Response coordinator posted on the nonprofit's Facebook page. "This is what we do for our community." 

From surplus to sustenance 

To find a home for every type of food, Mayo Clinic in Rochester also collaborates with Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, offering Mayo meals to families of hospitalized children. Across the enterprise, other food rescue efforts minimize waste while helping people in need:   

• Mayo Clinic in Florida supports Meals on Wings, which repurposes unused hospital food to provide meals for Jacksonville seniors, and Feeding Northeast Florida, a local food bank that rescues food and distributes it to hundreds of other organizations.  

• Mayo Clinic in Arizona recently awarded a Community Contributions grant to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which includes a food pantry network, a kitchen that makes 7,000 meals a day and a food reclamation center that rescues millions of pounds of food annually.   

• Mayo Clinic Health System donations and volunteers support local food shelves and organizations, such as Community Table, ECHO Food Shelf, Feed My People Food Bank and The Salvation Army. 
  
  

Through these collaborations, surplus becomes sustenance. Stewardship becomes service. And Mayo Clinic helps meet an essential need within local communities.    

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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: For the past several years, I've been competing in half-marathons. This year, I've decided to challenge myself and enter full marathons. What recommendations do you have for preventing sports injuries as I go to this next level?

ANSWER: Congratulations on continuing to stretch your goals — and for thinking about preventing injury before you begin more intense workouts. For anyone striving to boost their performance, injury prevention shouldn't be separate from your training program; it should be embedded into it. That includes incorporating it into warmups, strength sessions and practice design.

Preventing sports injuries

What does that look like? Starting with your warmup, think of it as preparing your system for the activity you're about to do. Your warmup should go beyond static stretching and focus on dynamic movements that activate the muscles that you're going to use in training and competition.

Then add sports-specific patterns to your warmup. For example, if you're a basketball player, jumping is a key movement. So, add that to your warmup. Not only does jumping mimic gameplay, but it also raises your heart rate and preps your system for the activity.

Remember, when you're designing your training program, you’re training for capacity, not just the sport itself. That means building general strength, having a good aerobic base, and sound technique and movement quality. 

That's what underlies your ability to progress to a higher level. Even elite athletes have become injured because they haven't built that capacity. Sudden spikes in the intensity and volume of exercise can lead to overuse injuries.

One of the key elements of building capacity and preventing injuries is progressive load management. The principle behind progressive load management means not going from zero to 100, but gradually increasing volume or intensity to build capacity.

Before you take any activity to the next level, address any underlying conditions. If you have knee pain while running, work with a physical therapist or an orthopedic or sports medicine clinician so you're not pushing through an injury and potentially making it worse.

Looking at your own experience, you've already built the capacity for running a half-marathon. A full marathon doubles the distance, making it a perfect example of how to apply progressive load management. That increased distance is a significant load not only on your cardiovascular system, but also on the orthopedic structures like bones, tendons and ligaments.

To condition your body and build capacity, design your running program so that over the next several months, you gradually increase mileage each week until you're at full marathon distance.

For someone who is coming back from a sports injury, the same progressive load management applies. A sports medicine specialist will work with the athlete to gradually rebuild strength, measuring progress along the way. Before getting back onto the court or field where they'll be expected to deliver 100%, they'll need to simulate the sport. 

One group of athletes particularly susceptible to overuse injuries is youth and adolescents. While participation in multiple sports is encouraged, young athletes still need time to build the physical capacity required for each sport as they transition between seasons. Gradually increasing training demands, rather than jumping from zero to 100, is key to reducing the risk of injury.

Pitchers are particularly vulnerable to overuse injuries. Finding the right balance between adequate time off and maintaining arm strength and conditioning can be challenging. Although there are published recommendations for annual time away from throwing, many athletes enter the season having done little or no arm-specific training in the offseason.

To reduce injury risk, conditioning and capacity building should begin well before the season starts. High-quality return-to-throwing programs, which are available both in person and online, can help guide athletes through a structured, progressive plan to safely get back in the game.

While the emphasis in youth sports is often on pitchers, catchers also throw at similar or higher volumes. They may not be throwing at the same velocity, but the volume is there. It's important to take this into consideration when tracking pitch counts. Pitching and catching in the same game should be avoided in most situations.

For student athletes, single-sport specialization and year-round competition are not in their best interest when it comes to injury prevention. Athletes need time away from each sport to allow their bodies to recover.

Participating in multiple sports is generally better for any athlete's overall physical health and helps reduce the risk of overuse injuries. It also promotes broader skill development and improved overall athleticism. By varying movement patterns and training demands, the body becomes more adaptable and is given a break from repetitive stress. Athletes often gain transferable skills that improve performance in their primary sport while also enhancing motivation and mental well-being.

Taylor North, D.O., Sports Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Fiber has been getting a lot of attention in the news lately. What exactly is dietary fiber, and why is it important to my overall health?

ANSWER: Dietary fiber refers to the parts of plant-based foods that your body can’t digest or break down. Unlike proteins, fats or simple carbohydrates, fiber passes through the digestive system largely intact. Because your body can't digest it, fiber becomes an important fuel source for the trillions of microbes that live in your gut.

As food moves through the digestive tract, nutrients your body can absorb are taken up earlier in the process. What remains — much of which is fiber — travels to the colon, where gut bacteria use it for energy. 

Dietary fiber is often associated with digestion, but its role in the body goes far beyond keeping you regular. Fiber plays an important part in gut, heart, immune and metabolic health. Research shows that adequate fiber intake helps:

• Lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure.
• Improve blood sugar control, aiding in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes.
• Decrease the risk of colorectal cancer, stroke and chronic inflammation.
• Manage a healthy weight.
• Regulate immune responses.
• Maintain a healthy and diverse gut microbiome, which supports many aspects of overall health.

Fiber is often described as soluble or insoluble, based on whether it dissolves in water or not. However, this distinction is less important for overall health than how fiber functions in the body. A more meaningful way to think about fiber is whether it’s fermentable or nonfermentable. Here’s what this means:

• Fermentable fiber can be broken down by gut microbes and used as fuel. This process produces beneficial compounds, such as short-chain fatty acids.
• Nonfermentable fiber isn’t readily used by microbes and mainly adds bulk to your stool, which helps support regular bowel movements.

While you may hear about the benefits of taking supplements to add fiber to your diet, but fiber is best obtained from food rather than supplements. That’s because many whole foods contain a mix of different fibers, which is especially beneficial for gut health. Fiber-rich foods include:

• Fruits, such as berries, pears and apples.
• Vegetables, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and leafy greens.
• Legumes, including lentils, chickpeas and beans.
• Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, chia seeds and flax seeds.
• Whole grains, including whole-wheat bread, oats and wheat bran.

It's important to eat a variety of these foods. The more different types of fiber-rich foods you eat, the more different types of fiber you'll get, which is optimal for your health. Making small, sustainable changes, such as choosing whole-grain bread instead of white bread or swapping chips for nuts or fruit, can add up over time.

Most adults who are in good health should aim for 30 to 40 grams of fiber per day. However, your fiber needs can vary by age and general health. For example, older adults may need to balance fiber intake with adequate calories and protein. 

As you increase your fiber intake, you may experience some abdominal discomfort, bloating and gas. To prevent or lessen these symptoms, gradually add more fiber to your diet rather than increasing your intake all at once. A helpful approach is to:

• Increase fiber intake by about 3 grams per week. This can be as easy as adding just 1/2 cup peas, squash or cauliflower; 1 cup carrots; 1 medium sweet potato; 1 cup brown rice; 3 tablespoons of shredded coconut; or 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.
• Maintain that level for seven to 10 days before increasing again.
• Drink plenty of water, aiming for 80 ounces a day.

Slowly increasing your fiber intake allows your digestive system and gut microbes time to adapt, and any symptoms will improve after a short while.

Fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet. By eating a variety of plant-based foods, increasing fiber intake gradually and staying well hydrated, you can support gut health and overall well-being while making fiber goals more achievable and sustainable.

Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S., Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

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Metabolic experts at Mayo Clinic say combining the two in some instances can be an effective way to treat obesity.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:02) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"Obesity is a disease, and to overcome it, we need to use all the modalities, or tools, we have available," says Dr. Omar Ghanem, a Mayo Clinic metabolic surgeon.

However, it's not a one-size-fits-all approach.

"Some patients might benefit only from medications, some patients might benefit only from surgery, but a portion of patients might benefit from the combined therapy," Dr. Ghanem says.

He says some patients experience greater weight loss when combining bariatric surgery, also called metabolic surgery, with GLP-1 medications. Ideal candidates include patients who start obesity treatment with a higher body mass index, those who are preparing to undergo a complex surgical procedure, such as a transplant, and patients who need to lose more weight for their overall health or those looking to maintain their weight after metabolic surgery.

"Neither GLP-1s nor bariatric surgery are magic. These are tools, and the patient has to use those tools correctly to be able to overcome obesity," Dr. Ghanem says. "Each case is different. Go to your provider, talk to your specialist, and trust them to help you make the right decision for your health. Our patients have to put a lot of effort to overcome the disease. They're not just choosing the easy way out, they're choosing the healthy way out."

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The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Using combined therapy to treat obesity appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.