Good news for a lot of us: having thunder thighs may actually prolong our lives ! A study, published in the British Medical Journal, followed several hundred men and women in Denmark for more than 10 years and discovered that “those with the smallest thighs - below 55cm (about 22 inches) - had twice the risk of early death or serious health problems.” Researchers found that the risk was “more highly related to thigh circumference than to waist circumference” and believe that the risk could be associated with too little muscle mass, which can lead to the body not responding to insulin properly, thus increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, responded to the published study, saying: “This is a very interesting and slightly counter-intuitive piece of work but it has to be respected because of the numbers looked at and the duration of the research. This must be great news for people with larger thighs.” Well, not quite as great as finding perfect-fitting jeans on sale, but I’ll take it. [via BBC News]

Cooking Light recently conducted a national survey of women over the age of 25 asking them to prioritize behaviors that promote their health. The respondents were asked to rank seven different behaviors in order of importance and their answers may surprise you. See how sex ranked after the jump.

Um, weird. A new study shows that women who use Tamoxifen, a drug mean to prevent estrogen-sensitive cancers like breast cancer, for more than five years are four times more likely to develop a non-estrogen-sensitive tumor in their other breast. The new tumors, although uncommon, are more difficult to treat. Scary, but docs are quick to question the study, which only examined women’s chances of developing cancer in their second breast. Some said it could just be a “statistical fluke” and pointed out that none of the women who took Tamoxifen for one to four years developed a new tumor. Others are worried that the results of this study could make patients scared to take the drug, which has been proven effective in keeping cancer from recurring or spreading. Eek. [NY Times]

Talk about a lip balm that promises to change your life. If you’re craving gooey, cheesy, and fried things, it’s time to reapply Burner Balm, a lip balm that promises to boost your energy and suppress your appetite. The $6.99 balm contains soy oils, caffeine, green tea extracts, and hoodia—which some think is a speedilicious appetite killer, but without a whole lot of proof. The company’s website encourages you to reapply under lipstick up to six times a day, but warns that the caffeine might keep you up at night. Meanwhile, people actually concerned with your health are afraid that the company is exploiting women’s fears about gaining weight. [Metro]

If you’ve ever experienced anxiety or depression, you know the appeal of simply staying home and hiding in your bed forever. Sounds kind of dangerous right? Maybe not. Scientists in the UK were trying to come up with alternative ways—other than flippantly prescribing meds—to treat anxious and depressed patients, who often have to wait over a year to visit a shrink. And they came up with the idea of virtual therapy—essentially, IMing a shrink. Turns out, it’s just as effective if not more so than actual talk therapy. The study looked at 297 people, half of whom had 10 sessions of therapy, each lasting about an hour, where they used instant messaging to chat one-on-one with a trained therapist. The results? About four in 10 people who had online therapy improved to the point where they were no longer depressed. Only two in 10 people recovered without any therapy.

Julia Allison, former dating columnist, occasional “It’s On With Alexa Chung” guest, and subject of snark from yours truly, is issuing herself a fitness challenge! The challenge: to lose 10 pounds in 30 days. She’ll be documenting the whole process on her “lifecast” so that the accountability she feels towards her readers will guilt-trip her into accomplishing her goal. To kick-start it, she did the Presidential Fitness Assessment at Equinox and posted her measurements on her blog. [“I’m 5’4” 1/2, 137 pounds, with a bust of 33, waist of 26 1/2 and hips of 36, butt of 40, and a BMI of 23.8 percent.”] She got the following email from a reader as a result:

“I don’t think it’s smart to post your measurements (including weight) on your lifecast. It could be insensitive to those struggling with these issues.  Although you may not mean it, it can come across as though those numbers are important markers of being ‘pretty’, ‘successful’ etc. — you catch my drift!  I see that you have struggled with bulimia; so, there could be many others too. Well, there are.  Just a thought!”

After hearing the appeal of a man who was caught using his mobile phone while driving and fined $350, a German judge is making the argument that this shouldn’t be illegal in the first place. In his ruling, Judge Albert Bartz wrote that if it is against the law to use a phone while driving, shouldn’t other dangerous activities be illegal, too? Examples he cited included masturbating or typing on a computer that’s sitting on the passenger’s seat. Sure, there have been studies proving telephone use while driving, especially texting, can lead to accidents, but there are a lot of other dangerous activities we engage in behind the wheel that aren’t illegal unless they distract you and cause an accident. After the jump, 10 things that aren’t illegal to do while driving but should be. [Spiegel Online]

When the pharmaceutical company for whom she was working granted filmmaker Liz Canner permission to film behind the scenes, she thought she would make a movie about women, sexuality and pleasure. Instead, Canner’s documentary, “Orgasm Inc.” turned into a story about the cold hard cash that can be made from making women come. Or trying, anyway.

Sorry, ladies, we’ve got another thing to add to your ever-growing list of cancer-causing products: scented candles. Burning candles super often in enclosed spaces could lead to asthma, eczema or even cancer. Most candles are made of paraffin wax and—just our luck— are the kind that, when lit, produce dangerous chemicals like toluene and benzene. So if you are going to woo your partner with a candlelit dinner or a sexy striptease in a dim room, opt for beeswax or soy candles, they’re safer. [Daily Mail]

Remember those drunk driving PSAs we were forced to watch in Driver’s Ed? The plot was usually the same—a friend is at the funeral of a friend who was killed in a drunk driving accident and then we see a totaled car wrapped around a pole. While these were always a bit on the cheeseball side, they had the intended effect: to instill a healthy dose of fear into the hearts and minds of reckless, invincible, idiotic teens. Well, apparently we need to terrify, not just scare, the teens of today. This British PSA, which warns about texting while driving, is hands down the scariest, most graphic video I have seen in my life. In the first 30 seconds, there is a gory accident complete with necks snapping, blood flowing, glass shattering. I don’t want to spoil the end—but almost everyone dies. If you ask me, this is really taking it too far. The point of a PSA is to discourage the teens, not to give them vicarious post-traumatic stress disorder. Save the horror for horror films, please. [BuzzFeed]

New statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics show that life expectancy in the U.S. is at an all-time high of 77.9 years. Us ladies now have a life expectancy of 80.4 years, thanks to drops in mortality rates for causes of death like influenza and pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and more. So what are we going to do with the time we’ve got? The Frisky’s staff shares their life bucket lists after the jump.

A Pennsylvania mother is suing her daughter’s school system because she said classroom bullying caused her daughter to develop anorexia.

The lawsuit alleged that in 6th grade, three boys called the girl “fat” and two more boys joined the taunting during her 7th grade school year. One year later, the girl checked into an in-patient program for an eating disorder. The family is suing Pittsburgh Public Schools because she said the school’s guidance counselor failed to deal with the alleged bullying, which would likely make it the first lawsuit of its kind. [CBS News]

Well, this is novel. A fine wine purveyor is targeting gay men with a line of special wines. Spanish UO! Wines has three vino options: Antinoo, Oscura Lágrima, and Ánima Blanca. Antinoo is a red: “young and mature, fruity, elegant, smooth…Mediterranean.” Oscura Lágrima, another red, is described thusly: “They say that the best sex is tumultuous like a storm cloud, and we’re inclined to agree.” Ánima Blanca is a white: “It’s fresh on the palate, potent…like a low whisper floating at you from behind your neck at just the right time.” Steamy! Nothing sells wine like sex, one imagines. Every bottle label features a hot, ripped dude in various stages of bondage/undress. Kinky! But where’s the line of wines for the lesbian ladies, UO!? [Notcot]

In Nigeria, a government program is trying to stop the spread of AIDS by ... encouraging HIV-positive people to marry each other. The idea is that if they’re married, they won’t be as likely to spread the disease to others. And they’re giving serious incentives for tying the knot. In exchange for an “HIV-marriage,” the agency will pay a couple’s dowry, and even provide them with counseling and employment assistance. There is no actual evidence that these marriages reduce the spread of AIDS, but some couples do note serious benefits of marrying another person with HIV. Some have said that their marriage has provided them with a support group and reduced the stigmatization associated with this disease.

Let me just start by saying this doesn’t make a lot of sense. But don’t shoot the messenger, OK? Dutch psychologists have discovered that looking at decadent desserts somehow works to deter women from eating badly. The study made 54 weight-conscious women look at pictures of either a flower or a slice of chocolate cake, and then offered the women either a slice of chocolate cake or an oatmeal cookie. Turns out, those who were shown the cake chose the healthier oatmeal cookie. The idea is that the photos might bring up feelings of guilt. Researcher Floor Kroese said, “Food temptations do not always trigger indulgence. It seems that seeing a food temptation reminded people of their goal to watch their weight and helped them act accordingly.” So, according to these Dutch researchers, hanging pictures of unhealthy food on your fridge might keep you from actually eating it. Wait, I can totally see why this works because my fridge is stocked with veggies and V8 juice right now and all I want to eat is delivery pizza and Sponge Bob popsicles. [Daily Mail]

We love us some beh-behs as much as the next twentysomething woman with a ticktockticktock sound coming out of her ovaries. But this sounds like a bad story from The National Enquirer: a woman in Gafsa, Tunisia, is preggo with 12 babies, thanks to fertility treatments. Her identity has not been revealed yet, but she is said to be a married teacher who turned to fertility docs after several miscarriages. Thank heavens this baby bonanza is happening in Tunisia, an unlikely locale for paparazzi to schlep when they’re done camping out outside of Nadya Suleman‘s house. Seriously, wannabe parents and fertility doctors, ENOUGH with the crazy multiple pregnancies already. [Sun UK]

With a full fledged debate raging over Obama’s health care plan, we’ve started to get pretty confused about what’s what. Everyone has an opinion and facts are flying everywhere. Meanwhile, myths, half-truths and complete lies (hello, “death panels”) are making the rounds, too. So we’re going to break it down for all of you out there who’ve got better things to do than listen to a bunch of white dudes talk politics.

“Sweaty Sundays” is a tremendously popular dance class at Foresight Studios in Silver Lake, California. The spaz class is led by choreographer, designer and performer Ryan Heffington. The students, who are artists by day, partiers by night, and hipsters round the clock, show up a little before noon on Sundays, usually hungover and highly caffeinated but never without colorful spandex and metallic headbands. Although “Sweaty Sundays” looks more like an American Apparel ad than an exercise class, the hipsters enjoy it so much the teacher had to add more classes. One’s called “Wet Wednesdays.” Ew.

My mom always used to joke in the kitchen, “Never trust a skinny chef,” even though she’s a skinny chef herself. Her words always ring through my mind when I see thinso chefs on the Food Network, or super-slim food critics like Padma Lakshmi of “Top Chef.” She is perhaps the most baffling—I see her eat plates full of food laden with fat (hellloooo butter!), and yet she always looks ridiculously slender. How does she do it?