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Spirit’s guide to stronger bones, healthier hearts, and higher IQs.

Hundreds of health-related studies come out every month, but we know you don’t have time to separate the useful from the useless. Here’s the best of what we found that promise to boost your well-being.

Health Nut Get crackin’ on cancer prevention with a daily dose of pistachios. A form of vitamin E found in the antioxidant-rich nuts might help reduce the risk of lung cancer, according to research conducted at Texas Women’s University. The study suggests 2 ounces of pistachios per day to help prevent the disease—without running the risk of expanding your waistline.

Run Smarter Cardio workouts could make you sharper, according to Sweden’s Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, which collaborated with the Swedish armed forces. Their study found that physically fit military recruits showed better results on IQ tests. Researchers noted an increase of proteins in the blood and a rise in oxygen to the brain owing to a healthier heart and lungs.

Bone Up  It’s not just milk that does a body good: A diet rich in flaxseed oil may prevent osteoporosis in post-menopausal diabetic women, according to the National Research Center in Cairo, Egypt. Its study found that flaxseed oil has a positive effect on bone mineral density due to the presence of n-3 fatty acids that protect bone mineralization, a process hindered by both diabetes and menopause. Get the oil in pills or in flaxseed bread, muffins, and chips in the health food section of your grocery store.

Salty Situation Hold the salt, help your heart. Cutting your daily sodium intake by 5 grams could reduce your risk of stroke by as much as 23 percent, according to researchers at the University of Naples, Italy, and the University of Warwick, England. Cutting back could also lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by 17 percent. Just more incentive to keep those shakers undisturbed.

Double Mint  Here’s a refreshing discovery: The Brazilian mint—long used as a home remedy to treat headaches, stomach pains, fever, and flu—can also relieve pain, according to researchers at Newcastle University in England. The study proved that when brewed as a tea, the herb was as effective in mice as the synthetic aspirin-style drug Indometacin, commonly used for pain relief in people.