I turned 50 at the end of 2019. Needless to say, there are tons of great things about turning a half century old, like sweet AARP discounts, less hair to coif, people cutting you slack for nodding off in the middle of conversations, etc. But here’s a very underrated thing about turning 50: Colonoscopies! Seriously.

You probably know that getting a colonoscopy when you are my age has many health benefits, like increasing your odds of being around to see future seasons of the Great British Baking Show. But when I got my first colonoscopy this year I discovered there are oodles of other lesser-known upsides. …