NFTs, non-fungible tokens, are being used to sell (nonexistent or over-existent) digital art. For example, a digital video by Mike Winkelmann, AKA Beepie, sold for $6.6 million, but you can have pr...

NFTs, non-fungible tokens, are being used to sell (nonexistent or over-existent) digital art. For example, a digital video by Mike Winkelmann, AKA Beepie, sold for $6.6 million, but you can have precisely the same thing in your living room if you Google "Crossroad #1/1." The art market is risky business, but it's nothing compared to the chances most Americans are taking - over 75% of U.S. adults are at risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Researchers combed through data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found an estimated 176.1 million folks have at least one condition that increases their risk of severe symptoms of COVID-19. Around 80 million have two or more risk-amplifying conditions, and around 45 million have three or more. Surprisingly, folks younger than 65 have a 69.2% risk of severe symptoms if they catch the virus.

Obesity is the most prevalent condition that's upping the risk. Chronic kidney disease and heart disease as well as diabetes, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease also amplify it.

The bottom line: The best way to prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms is to maximize your wellbeing.

- Don't put off seeing your doctors, getting check-ups or investigating emerging health concerns. (What is that sore spot?)

- Strive to achieve a healthy weight.

- Amp up your exercise routine.

- Eat a minimally-processed, plant-based diet.

Even as the vaccine rolls out you can be at risk. You want to protect yourself from this infection and be prepared to fight off any new ones down the road.

©2021 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Bo Jackson is the only athlete named to the NFL Pro Bowl and MLB All-Star game in the same season. Deion Sanders hit a home run in the MLB and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week. Multi-...

Bo Jackson is the only athlete named to the NFL Pro Bowl and MLB All-Star game in the same season. Deion Sanders hit a home run in the MLB and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week. Multi-threats we'd like to see more of. In contrast, we'd like to see less of the multiple threats of diabetes and lung cancer that menace many Americans.

Well, two new recommendations can let you know if you're at risk, so you can become a positive threat to anything standing in your way of health and happiness.

No. 1. If you are overweight, it's smart to get screened for prediabetes or diabetes at age 35, according to a draft of new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. If you're cleared, get rechecked annually. If you're diagnosed, you can begin to cure or control the conditions with smart lifestyle changes and, if needed, medication. Check out www.DoctorOz.com: Search for "Quiz: Are Your Prediabetic?" and "Chronic Type 2 Diabetes Management Is About Knowing the Facts."

No. 2. Current smokers and ex-smokers who quit within the past 15 years, ages 50 to 80, and who have a 20-pack-year history, should get screened for lung cancer with a low-dose CT scan, says USPSTF. Optimally, you should have the scan four consecutive years.

What's a 20-pack-year history mean? Well, if you smoked a pack a day for 20 years or two a day for 10 years, you've accumulated 20 pack-years. Need help quitting? Search for "Quitting Smoking" at www.myclevelandclinic.org.

©2021 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Singer-songwriter Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. was known as Fats Domino; silent-screen star Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle went by Fatty Arbuckle; and jazz pianist Thomas Wright Waller was called Fats Wa...

Singer-songwriter Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. was known as Fats Domino; silent-screen star Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle went by Fatty Arbuckle; and jazz pianist Thomas Wright Waller was called Fats Waller. These legendary celebs embraced their corpulent nicknames, but most folks don't want to see their extra padding talked about on a billboard.

Nonetheless, the average American adult gains 1.25 pounds annually from their 20s to their 50s - and it's not muscle. That contributes to chronic diseases many of you contend with, from depression and sore joints to heart disease and diabetes. And you know poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle are to blame. But did you know that one of the most fat-fueling habits is eating sugar?

A new study found that consuming even moderate amounts of added sucrose and fructose doubles fat production in your liver, leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), fatty deposits in your muscles and diabetes. The researchers say 2.8 ounces of sugar a day - what's in a little more than two cans of Coke - is all it takes to crank up excess fat production.

For up to 30% of the 100 million adults in the U.S. with NAFLD, the disease progresses to inflammation, liver damage and potentially fatal cirrhosis. So stopping the intake of added fructose and sucrose is essential.

Think - or know - you're at risk? Talk to your doc and pick up "Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic - Fatty Liver Disease" by Kristin Kirkpatrick and Dr. Ibrahim Hanouneh.

©2021 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.