Angelina JolieIf you were told you had an 87% risk for breast cancer, would you undergo a double mastectomy as a preventative measure to eliminate or drastically reduce your risk? Essentially, this is what actress Angelina Jolie did. Just this week, she announced in a New York Times article that she underwent the double mastectomy after learning she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which is a marker for increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

What a difficult decision. Brave, some might say. While others: over reactive. Personally, I believe it is an extremely personal decision. If it gives Angelina Jolie peace of mind, and makes her feel safer, then so be it. She did what was right for her. And, when the stakes are as high as they seem to have been for her, it sounds like she made a sound decision.

Her decision, however, raises the question: How much of a role do our genes play in our risk for disease?

Many individuals in the medical profession chalk disease up to

Supermarket SweepLast week I made a classic mistake: I spent a couple of hours working after lunch and then rushed out the door to do some grocery shopping before dinner. It wasn't until I was almost to the store that I realized how hungry I was - and that I would soon be surrounded by lots of tasty food. I told myself I had a list and I'd stick to it, and for the most part, I did . . . except for maybe that extra bag of chocolate chips and those yogurt-covered cookies my husband had casually mentioned as something to try sometime, if they weren't too expensive.

Yep, I'd fallen into the diet-sabotaging trap of shopping while hungry. I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn't know exactly how bad. A new study out from Cornell University tells us just how much more we buy - in bulk and in calories - when we go to the store on an empty stomach.

Related: 10 fat-burning exercises you can do anywhere

The study tested two groups of shoppers, all of whom had been asked to not eat anything for 5 hours beforehand.

Derya Sert and her husband husband Mustafa Sert (Photo by Getty Images)Derya Sert, 22, the first woman in the world to have a successful womb transplant from a deceased donor and then become pregnant from the process, has lost her baby at eight weeks, according to a report from The Associated Press on Tuesday afternoon.

In an email to Yahoo! Shine, Mustafa Unal, the Turkish woman's doctor wrote: "Unfortunately her pregnancy was terminated because the baby's heartbeat had stopped."

In April he confirmed her pregnancy to Yahoo! Shine, writing in an email: "We are glad to inform that she is indeed pregnant. But she is now just at the beginning of the pregnancy period. We hope everything goes well until the end of the pregnancy."

Sert was born without a uterus, a condition that occurs in 1 in every 5,000 women, according to the American Free Press. In August 2011, Sert was called a "medical miracle" after her womb transplant was successful. She was impregnated when doctors implanted an embryo into her uterus using one of her own eggs at Akdeniz University

Over the weekend, I was trying to remember something I'd read in Tyler Cowen's book, Discover Your Inner Economist: Using Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist.

And I looked it up-so interesting!

Sometimes when we ask a question, we know that people might be reluctant to give a true opinion. Maybe they're worried about angering someone else, or appearing unsophisticated, or admitting what they actually think or do.

Tyler Cowen made an observation that I think is absolutely fascinating, and one that provides a possible solution to this non-disclosure problem. He writes:

By Liz Black, Refinery29

When I wrote about Gabi Gregg's capsule collection for swimsuitsforall just a couple weeks ago, I honestly was not expecting the level of ire that came with using the term "Fatkini," a term coined by Gregg herself.

You see, I'm fat. You can call me plus-size, curvy, voluptuous, or full-figured, and they're all accurate descriptions of my body shape. And so is fat. That word once had a huge negative connotation behind it to me, and I've shed tears over being called "fat," so I can understand the anguish that can come with such a tiny word. But I have embraced my body, my weight, my size. I'm active and I eat a plant-based diet; I know I'm healthy, and no amount of pounds is going to tell me otherwise. This is my body, and I accept it as such. So, I no longer view "fat" as an insult - to me, it's become more of a descriptor word (like skinny, tall, short), and nothing more. But not everyone views "fat" the same way.

The most vocal of our readers jumped to the

by Patrick Rogers


WWD/Steve Eichner As you've probably already heard, Angelina Jolie published a piece on the editorial page of the New York Times today, describing the double mastectomy she elected to have after testing positive for a "faulty" BRCA1 gene, which increases her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Jolie writes that her own mother died of cancer at age 56, and she wanted to assure her children "that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

Jolie's startling statement clearly struck a chord: Online commentators rushed to praise her for speaking out about her tough decision, and the haters have been out in force, slamming her for "butchery" and choosing an option that's not available to women without considerable resources or comprehensive health insurance. We asked Susan Brown, managing director for community health at Susan G. Komen for the Cure, for the facts about the procedure that doctors call bilateral prophylactic mastectomy--removing both breasts to

Getty ImagesBinge drinking and bulimia may not be topics that come to mind upon hearing the name Christine C. Quinn but the speaker of the New York City Council and Democratic candidate for mayor revealed her surprising life-long struggle with both diseases on Tuesday in The New York Times. 

More on Yahoo! Shine: Why Are Eating Disorders on the Rise in Older Women?

Quinn touches on these experiences in her upcoming memoir “With Patience and Fortitude” and says she contacted the newspaper because she believes that hiding her past isn’t healthy. “I just want people to know you can get through stuff,” she said. “I hope people can see that in what my life has been and where it is going.”

More on Yahoo! Warning Signs and Approaching Loved Ones With Eating Disorders

The 46-year-old described how coping with her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis contributed to her bulimia as a child. Her family kept her mother’s breast cancer and subsequent mastectomy a secret for almost six years, until Quinn discovered

You're sweaty, smelly… and late to yoga? Oh, no. Don't be that girl. Here's how not to annoy your fellow yogis…

Today kicks off National Etiquette Week, and celeb yoga trainer Kristin McGee, who you know from "Body by Bethenny," is speaking the truth.

"I wanted to share ways you can be courteous and gracious in yoga class. As a yoga teacher for over 17 years now, here are some of the most un-yogic manners you should try to avoid."

1. Being late for class.
I realize we all have such busy lives and it's truly hard to be on time always, but it's also very disruptive to a class when someone walks in late. It's also dangerous, depending on how late you arrive. If you've missed some of the warm-up, you could injure yourself. If you are running late and you really want to take class, be as polite and quiet as you can when you enter the room, and before you stay, and ask the yoga teacher "Is it okay for me to still join in?"

2. Leaving early from class.