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“A sedentary lifestyle is an independent risk factor and it is not enough to ‘compensate’ for it with specific exercise”

July 6, 2026 by usatoday24

There are many people passing by much of her day glued to a chairin many cases because they are working, traveling by car or resting on the couch, with a sedentary lifestyle being a true routine in the lives of many people. Until now we knew that it was harmful, but now science has put exact numbers on how an uninterrupted sedentary lifestyle influences our health, and the most important thing is that it has been seen that it does not help to compensate for it. With a watch. A new study published in PLOS analyzed data from 91,292 people from the UK Bank, and unlike other epidemiological studies that rely on questionnaires filled out by the participants themselves, here they used accelerometry. That is, for years they have monitored the physical movement of all these people thanks to activity sensors on the wrist. After an average follow-up of 12.38 years, the researchers not only measured total inactivity time, but how it was distributed throughout the day. And that’s where the real enemy to our health comes in, which are blocks of uninterrupted time. You have to get up. The central finding of the study does not penalize the simple act of sitting so much, but rather doing it continuously. The researchers concluded that each additional hour of prolonged sedentary behavior, understood as periods of 30 minutes or more without getting up at any time, is associated with a 10% increase in the risk of cancer mortality. That is to say, spending long work days without moving at all is not free in the long term. The solution. Fortunately, the results also show that the human body is incredibly grateful when we break that stasis. Using statistical time substitution models, the study calculated what happens when we swap prolonged periods in the chair for different “doses” of daily physical activity. To give an example, replacing one hour a day of prolonged sedentary lifestyle with low-intensity activities such as walking at a normal pace or doing housework reduces the risk by 12%. But if we go further, changing just 30 minutes of uninterrupted sedentary lifestyle for moderate physical activity reduces the risk by 8%. The most important thing. The most efficient substitution has been found to require very little time, as swapping sedentary time for just five minutes a day of vigorous physical activity reduces the risk of cancer mortality by a staggering 22%. The golden rule. As is usual when analyzing medical literature, and as the authors and independent experts themselves emphasize, we must read the fine print. As it is an observational study, the data show a strong statistical association, but the design itself cannot demonstrate strict and absolute causality, leaving it exposed to certain biases, such as the UK Biobank volunteers usually having a healthier baseline profile than the population average. However, this research does not arrive in a vacuum since it is tremendously consistent with previous scientific evidence and gives robustness to what we already suspected. In 2022, a meta-analysis and umbrella review already warned about the strength of the relationship between a sedentary lifestyle and oncological risk. And at a closer level, a study by the Carlos III Health Institute in 2024 confirmed in the Spanish population that replacing just one hour a week of sitting time with physical activity managed to reduce general mortality. The experts. Nabil Djouder, head of the Group of Growth Factors, Nutrients and Cancer of the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) in statement to SMC pointed out that this study “reinforces the idea that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor and that it is not enough to ‘compensate’ for it with specific exercise.” Images | Vitaly Gariev In Xataka | Spending hours sitting in front of the screen is not only destroying your body, it is also changing your personality

“A sedentary lifestyle is an independent risk factor and it is not enough to ‘compensate’ for it with specific exercise”

July 6, 2026 by usatoday24

We believed that loneliness was just an emotional problem. Science points out that it is a risk factor for dozens of diseases.

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

Loneliness is undoubtedly a scourge that is integrated into our society and that on many occasions goes unnoticed, especially affecting older people who are practically confined to being at home and with little social contact. And although this is something that a priori can remain in the psychological fieldthe reality is that loneliness emerges as a major public health threat as it is related to very serious diseases. A big risk. When we talk about risk factors in the field of medicine, we immediately think about nutrition or lack of exercise that are related to very serious diseases. But loneliness must also be added to this entire list, since numerous studies have found a direct association with cardiovascular, neurological and metabolic pathologies, although unraveling the exact cause continues to be one of the great challenges of current medical literature. The problem. In 2023, the United States Surgeon General public a devastating report pointing out that we were facing an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation.” And it was not a mere poetic metaphor, since the WHO has been warning that social disconnection not only affects us emotionally, but also alters our body to the point of increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, dementia and premature death. A measurable impact. When we talk about disease risk, cardiovascular health is the first to suffer. Here, a scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published in it Journal of the American Heart Associationconcluded bluntly that loneliness and social isolation are independent risk factors for poorer heart and brain health. And the percentages are not anecdotal, since a meta-analysis pointed out that loneliness or social isolation is associated with a 29% increase in the risk of suffering from coronary heart disease and a 32% increase in the risk of stroke. It goes further. A massive analysis led by the Autonomous University of Madrid in 2026, after following more than 400,000 peopleconfirmed a strong association between isolation and multimorbidity, highlighting that physical social isolation is a relevant risk factor even if the person does not subjectively perceive that loneliness. The case of dementia. Among dementias, the most important disease is undoubtedly Alzheimer’s and the data are clear in pointing out that unwanted loneliness is an important risk factor for all dementias. Among the reasons that exist, the Alzheimer Center of Barcelona points out in a recent note as follows: “The relationship between isolation and cognitive decline is supported by research showing how a lack of social interaction impoverishes vocabulary, reduces cognitive flexibility, and accelerates brain decline.” Here the advice given to be less likely to suffer from this disease when you reach a risk age is to participate in group activities, take advantage of technology to maintain contact or create a social routine. In mental health. In addition to the organic section, if we move on to mental illnesses, the fact that there is no adequate social support network also leads to an increase in the probability of illnesses as important as depression or even the schizophrenia. Many causes can influence here, such as genetic factors, but in the end a cluster of situations can generate the final trigger for the disease. The great nuance. The question we must ask ourselves here is the following: do we get sick because of the biological impact of disconnection, or because loneliness is accompanied by other conditions? And here the science suggests that isolated people tend to do less physical activity, have poorer diets and have a greater propensity for smoking or alcoholism. Factors that can trigger a whole battery of serious diseases. Even with these factors in the equation, loneliness demonstrates surprising predictive strength. For example, recent research in patients with diabetes revealed that loneliness was associated with a greater probability of suffering from coronary heart disease, even outweighing several classic risk factors. Images | Anthony Tran In Xataka | Generation Z is both the most connected and the loneliest in history. And there is nothing casual about it

Studying a lot is fine, but there is another factor that influences that you approve or suspend: the exam time

July 27, 2025 by usatoday24

If you want to approve an exam, there is nothing more than study (well, or Use Chatgpt). Going prepared is the best insurance to get good note, but there is more. Some researchers have discovered That the exam time can also influence, and much, in the result. The study. It was carried out at the University of Messina, Italy. They took into account the exams that were made between the end of 2018 and early 2020. In total, more than 100,000 exams of 1,243 subjects. The approved rate was 57%, the curious thing was when they realized that there was a time slot in which the approved rate was greater. Better at noon. The exams were held from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. The time slot between 11:00 and 13:00 is where the approved rate reached its peak. If you are lucky enough to put the exam at that time, the chances of edges are higher. If on the contrary you have the exam at 8 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon, you may not take out outstanding. Because. The study does not delve into the causes, but researchers have a hypothesis: biological rhythms. One of the authors of the study affirms that the results show “how biological rhythms, often ignored in decision -making contexts, can significantly influence the result of high -risk evaluations.” Our cognitive performance is improving during the morning to reach a peak at noon and start its descent in the afternoon. The approved rate curve is clear: at noon better Fountain The chronotype The study also indicates that this could vary depending on the chronotype, something that has not been taken into account when obtaining the results. It refers to the natural predisposition of a person to have energy peaks and need for rest at different times of the day. Although we know that Genetics plays an important role in sleep cyclesit is also true that students usually study at night. A bad rest would explain that in the first hour the performance goes down. Exams and more. The researchers propose that the institutions concentrate the exams around the central hours of the day. Although the time of an exam does not depend on students, there are other evaluations where we do have some margin when arranging the time as a job interview, as They point to The Times. The researchers agree and leave the door open to study if the time also influences a better performance of the candidates and even the interviewers. Image | Flickr (University of Seville) In Xataka | The selectivity of 2025 promised to be more fair than ever: students feel that Pau is the opposite

In the middle of the largest commercial chaos, olive oil seems immune thanks to a factor: consumption in Spain

April 10, 2025 by usatoday24

For months, a fear has persistently toured the oil world. Often fear is undefined, inaccurate, it has no face. This time, on the other hand, it was something clear and easily identifiable: producers feared that, after the crisis of recent years, the olive oil consumption figures They will not recover. Now, the data start drawing an answer. An extremely rational fear. Throughout the last decade, the consumption of olive oil It has been falling year after year. It is not clear why, or what are they Sociodemographic factors that influence; But yes, crisis after crisis (and with the mediation of A deep cultural and gastronomic change), wide layers of the population have gotten out of the oil and the vast majority has not returned. It is evident that in Spain there is a “oil culture” and that, in a sense, makes the Spaniards a “captive public”. We can see it by analyzing the inelasticity of the demand. According to the year dataolive oil has been the product that has most increased this April. It is worth 62% more than last year and 100.4% more than two ago. The demand, on the other hand, only 19.8% fell with respect to the last year and 44.5% compared to two years ago. That is the great trick of the industry and, therefore, the simple idea that this culture is eroding is terrifying for them. And even more in times of change. Not just for The commercial chaos that has caused the tariff vailed of the US, but for The endemic paradoxes of the Spanish oil industry. Do not forget that we talk about a sector that, despite growing 15% every yearis seeing how its productive structure is de -industrialized to forced marches. But Spain has returned. After several bad years, this campaign has finally been the return to normal. That has hehco that prices, little to Cpoco, return to normal. In February, in fact, the year -on -year price had already fallen by 40%. But the good news is another: that demand has grown 48%, According to Nielsen data collected by Cordopolis. Has the curse broken? It is still early to know. In a few months, we can examine in detail how sales go and we can know if consumption levels have really recovered or not. But the sensations are good. And more at a time when, despite everything, the Oleícola sector has managed not to resent with the tariff measures of Donald Trump. For the first time in years, a smile is intuited in the Olivos Sea. Image | Norberto Ortiz In Xataka | The two speeds of the price of olive oil: much more in origin is being reduced than in the supermarket

Most likely you are drinking your coffee with bad milk. And the fault of everything has a factor: the temperature

March 8, 2025 by usatoday24

There is a scene that you have surely lived if you have asked for a coffee in a restaurant or a cafeteria: you ask for a coffee with milk or a capuchino and, after assembling value, you ask that the milk is not very hot. That is when such a coffee serve you darkness And you hear the crackling of a milk that ceased to be a edible product to become a lava. And there is something important to take into account in all this: although the coffee they use is good -Not Torrefacto-, such hot milk is ruining the drink. Specialty coffee shops against lava. Prepare a coffee It is a very meticulous process. The problem is that the coffee culture of many sites is quite improvable, which has led us to think that the way of drinking any preparation that is not a single with ice must be an experience in which we have to spend ten minutes waiting for coffee to cool. The difference between a specialty cafeteria and any bar is not alone in coffee, but also in how they treat milk. And that is where the temperature comes into play. In specialty coffee shops, any coffee that carries milk will be rather temperate. You can even start taking it as soon as they serve you. This is not for Eviction the table as soon as possible and that the following client passes, but for something deeper and that has a scientific basis. 65 ° C.. That is the maximum temperature that the milk of a coffee with milk should have. Anyone between 55 and 65 degrees Celsius, happens to be more accurate, and maintaining it is crucial to protect something fundamental in milk: its proteins. When we heat the milk with the foamer, if we stay in that temperature range, their proteins experience something called ‘denaturation’. This means that milk proteins lose their structure and form spheres around the air bubbles that are produced when milk subjected to the sparkling. That process, together with the interaction between the casein and the fat of the milk, serves to stabilize the foam, making it more creamy. The sweetness of the liquid is also enhanced without falling into the burned of it because the natural sugars of milk break down just as not to pass. And? If we pass temperature, the balance between fats and proteins is broken, so the foam will be more airy and lose that softness and creaminess, making the drink less dense. But apart from the aesthetic function (because the art is worse with milk that exceeds 65 degrees) and the alteration of the texture of the drink, there is another issue that we must take into account. When we exceed the temperature, the proteins are excessively denatured, which leads to the excess of air bubbles that we have already commented, but also to the presence of a flavor that can be unpleasant because the sugars are passed and the fats are oxidized. In addition, the texture will not be so velvety and we will not only have a much flatter drink in flavor, also in terms of density. Template, better. And it happened to me. Going to a specialty cafeteria for the first time and finding a tempered capuchino was a surprise, but beyond the initial by temperature, the next was that there were fruity notes of the coffee I could appreciate. Preparing the same type of coffee in my house, with a foamer who later saw that it exceeds that temperature, all those notes, simply vanished. My mistake during all that time? Do not pay attention to temperature. And that temperature is one of the many reasons why drinking coffee with milk in many countries, and out of specialty coffee shops, is a battle. Preparing good coffee is very complicated, so much that there are those who study What are the best reactions and temperatures To, among many other issues, heat the right the milk to change the texture of the drink without affecting its flavor too much. Ojito with reuse. On the other hand, and I recognize that it has also happened to me, we cannot reuse the milk that we have already subjected to this process in the foamer. The scene may sound to you: it is one of the first times you make coffee with your new coffee maker and you throw more milk in the jar. That goes up as it is foam, so we have half left and we decided to take a glass jar, let it temper and store it in the refrigerator to use it in another coffee. We spread it again and … there is the error. It’s something James Hoffman –Barista and coffee disseminator- already explained A few years ago: when we heated milk for the second time, we are exaggerating the denaturation of proteins and promoting oxidation of fats, which generates a more stale flavor and an unpleasant texture. Therefore, if you want to prepare a better Latte At home, it is best to have a steel jar that allows us to feel the ideal temperature and, until we have trained the sense of touch to identify what that temperature is, something like a cheap kitchen thermometer will serve as a guide. Everything is to stop drinking milk in poor condition with each homemade cap … Image | Chris Reyem In Xataka | The first step to improve coffee you drink is to grind it yourself. Science has the explanation

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