functional

The trend of adding protein to coffee was born on TikTok. And capitalism has taken note of this “functional coffee”

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Drinking coffee is a very personal thing. You can do it because you like its flavorbecause you want to take advantage of its health benefits or even because you want that caffeine ‘shot’. It is also a social drink with that classic “let’s have a coffee”, but in recent years, coffee has also become a functional drink. Reason? The need to add protein to everything. And coffee chains have not been slow to surf the trend. The ‘profess’. Proteins are one of the pillars of a balanced dietbut if we do intense and regular sports, its intake becomes essential. The ideal is to get it from food, but protein powder (whether vegetable or whey) It is a quick and easy way to increase daily grams. The “normal” thing is to have a smoothie, but in 2021 a trend appeared on TikTok: the ‘teacher‘. Basically, it is the combination between ‘protein’ and ‘coffee’ and it is what you are imagining: enrich a coffee with protein powder. Hacking coffee. Named As ‘broistas’, a term that can be somewhat derogatory and combines ‘gymbro’ with ‘barista’, there were those who went directly to a cafeteria, ordered a long coffee and mixed it with their protein shake. Here the search is to convert coffee into a strictly functional drink that provides caffeine that allows you to perform more during the training session, burn more fat if that training is going to be cardio and add a few more grams of protein to the daily count. Dutch Bros menu Dutch Bros.. Evidently, coffee shops have taken note. The entire food industryIn fact, she has been on the protein diet bandwagon for years, with very particular labeling and higher prices in foods that have one or two more grams of protein per 100 grams than the unenhanced version (which is a ridiculous amount). And, as we say, the coffee shops have not wanted to miss that train of body worship. If people come, order a coffee and add it to their proteins, why not offer the combination directly? Thus, at the beginning of 2024, the coffee chain Dutch Bros. -very direct competition from Starbucks, at least on US soil- launched a series of protein drinks. Coffees like the Salted Caramel Protein Latte or the Salted Caramel Protein Mocha have 20 grams of protein and no added sugar. The key is their reduced-fat protein milk to which they have added proteins -casein-, and little by little they have been opening the range of protein versions of their most popular coffees. starbucks. Also in the American West, but somewhat further north, this protein coffee thing resonated. Starbucks wasn’t going to stand by while customers demanded something the competition was already offering, and just a few weeks agothey launched a protein drink line within your menu. It depends on what you choose, but there are milk foam options that provide about 15 grams of protein per drink in a large size, to others that use milk with whey protein that provides between 30 and 35 grams of protein per drink. As is logical at Starbucks, there are plenty of drinks available to choose from and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a fad: it’s here to stay. Tressie Lieberman is the company’s chief brand officer and commented that it is something that “responds to the growing demand for protein by consumers.” And other companies are preparing their strategies, like Peet’s Coffee with its ‘Vitality Menu‘ with protein lattes. Necessary? I know esteem that the market for this functional coffee is valued at 4,000 million dollars and that it will reach more than 14,700 million by 2034. It is the consequence of that aforementioned cult of the body, especially in younger consumers, because it is an aid to reach the necessary grams of protein in a simpler way. However, there are those who are skeptical. Eating protein, especially if you practice sports, is fine, but nutritionists already warn that, while an essential nutrient, protein “should not be treated like fairy dust that we sprinkle on everything.” In the end, it all depends on each person’s nutritional needs and how convenient a shake is… or the pleasure of getting that protein from food. Images | Xataka, In Xataka | In the 16th century it was believed that coffee was a satanic drink. So Pope Clement VIII decided to “baptize” him

now it has to be “functional”, “conscious” and, of course, instagrammable

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Two years ago, social networks they were filled of giant glasses of water of all colors and flavoring powders. That effervescent fashion was called WaterTok: a digital community that transformed hydration into likes. Now, the phenomenon has returned with another name and a more sophisticated air: loaded water, or water loaded with ingredients that promise energy, balance and digestive health. The difference is not so much aesthetic as speech: less glitter, more “functionality.” The functional era of water? Between Generation Z and the wellness-loving public has arisen he loaded water, that unlike the WaterTokis presented as a “conscious” evolution. For many, it is a way to give up soda and drink more water: “It helps me consume much more water than I normally consume per day,” said a creator on TikTok. He loaded water reappears this year as a “functional” version: water to which electrolytes, fruits or prebiotics are added to improve the flavor and promote adherence to hydration. However, like the experts remember Water alone is still sufficient for most people, except in cases of prolonged exercise or exposure to extreme heat. So, this new trend would be an evolution of traditional infused water, with a discourse that mixes nutrition and wellness aesthetics. “If flavored water displaces sugary drinks, it is healthier,” summarizes dietitian Fiorella DiCarloalthough with an important nuance: “Dehydration can cause fatigue, slow down metabolism and increase sugar cravings, which can lead to weight gain.” From that logic, the loaded water It becomes a tool for those looking to hydrate better without adding sugar. Is it so hard to drink water? There is no viralization without an uncomfortable truth behind it: many people do not reach the daily hydration recommendations. According to Mayo Clinicrecommends 15.5 cups of liquids a day for men and 11.5 for women, remembering that not only water counts, but also fruits and other foods with high water content. Additionally, the Cleveland Clinic medical portal relates the lack of water with cravings for sweets, something that loaded water promises to combat by offering flavor without sugar. With or without flavor? It is not a fixed recipe, since it can include electrolytes, prebiotics, sparkling water, fruits, herbs or vitamins, depending on the needs or taste of each person. In short, as a Fitness portal explainsis a creative and functional way to hydrate, which allows you to customize the drink according to your goals: energy, digestion or simply flavor. Regular water is still enough for most people, except those who engage in intense physical activity or are exposed to extreme heat. The rest, recalls nutritionist Helen Tieuyou can get the same minerals through a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, nuts and dairy. Healthy fashion or profitable business? The border between well-being and business is easily blurred. In a report for the New York Times documented as the #WaterTok phenomenon skyrocketed sales of syrups and flavoring mixes: brands like Jordan’s Skinny Mixes sold out and doubled their revenue. Many of the creators who popularized the movement included affiliate links to the products they used. Under the same prism, loaded water falls within the “liquid aesthetics of well-being”, where translucent, colorful and photogenic drinks triumph —like clear protein—. The visual is sold as synonymous with health, even though there are ultra-processed products behind it. And there lies the slightest difference with a more sober and “scientific” tone, but ultimately it responds to the same commercial logic: converting water into a product that can be labeled, promoted and sold. Back to the essentials. Not all experts join the wave of functional powders. Nutritionist Ángela Quintas defends the return to nature and shares simple recipes for waters flavored with cucumber, mint, lemon or red fruits. “Hydration is not just drinking water, it is taking care of your metabolism, your skin, your energy and your health from within,” remembers in statements to La Vanguardia. To avoid confusion, nutritionists match on some basic principles: prioritize fresh fruits, herbs or coconut water over industrial powders, limit sodium and artificial flavorings if consumed several times a day, and adjust hydration to individual needs. In situations of prolonged effort or extreme heat, electrolytes may make sense, but it is always advisable to consult a professional if there are kidney or cardiovascular problems. The water is no longer invisible. Under the guise of health, the loaded water It is also an example of how far wellness marketing can go. If in 2023 the WaterTok turned hydration into a spectacle, in 2025 the loaded water He has transformed it into a business. What started as a reminder to drink more water is today an industry of dyes, powders and promises. The trend passes, the thirst remains. Image | FreePik Xataka | You don’t sweat as much, but you drink like you’re running a marathon: the new obsession with electrolytes

An researcher proposed a game to Chatgpt. What he received in return was functional keys from Windows 10

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Sometimes, the most effective is the simplest. That thought Marco Figueroa, cybersecurity researcher, when last week decided to test The limits of Chatgpt. The proposal was as innocent as disconcerting: a riddle game, without technical attacks or explicit intentions. Instead of seeking vulnerabilities in the code, he focused on language. And it worked: he managed to make the system return something that, according to himself, should never have appeared on the screen. The result were generic key installation of Windows 10 For business environments. The key was to disguise him. What Figueroa wanted to check was not if he could force the system to deliver forbidden information, but if it was enough to present the right context. He reformulated interaction as a harmless challenge: a kind of riddle in which AI should think of a real text chain, while the user tried to discover it through closed questions. Throughout the conversation, the model did not detect any threat. He responded normally, as if he were playing. But the most critical part came at the end. When introducing the phrase “I Give Up” – I rindo – Figueroa activated the final answer: the model revealed a product key, as it had been stipulated in the rules of the game. It was not a casual carelessness, but a combination of carefully designed instructions to overcome the filters without raising suspicions. The filters were there, but they were not enough. Systems such as Chatgpt are trained to block any attempt to obtain sensitive data: from passwords to malicious links or activation keys. These filters are known as Guardrailsand combine black lists of terms, contextual recognition and intervention mechanisms against potentially harmful content. In theory, asking for a Windows key should automatically activate those filters. But in this case, the model did not identify the situation as dangerous. There were no suspicious words, or direct structures that alerted their protection systems. Everything was raised as a game, and in that context, the AI acted as if it were fulfilling a harmless slogan. What seemed harmless was camouflaged. One of the elements that made the failure possible was a simple obfuscation technique. Instead of writing directly expressions such as “Windows 10 Serial Number”, Figueroa introduced small HTML labels between words. The model, interpreting the structure as something irrelevant, ignored the real content. Why it worked (and why just worrying). One of the reasons why the model offered that response was the type of key revealed. It was not a unique key or linked to a specific user. Apparently it was a generic installation key (GVLK)such as those used in business environments for massive displays. These keys, publicly documented by Microsoft, only work if they are connected to a KMS (Key Management Service) server that validates network activation. The problem was not only the content, but the reasoning. The model understood the conversation as a logical challenge and not as an attempt to evasion. Did not activate its alert systems because the attack did not seem an attack It’s not just a key problem. The test was not limited to an anecdotal issue. According to Figueroa himself, the same logic could be applied to try to access another type of sensitive information: from links that lead to malicious sites to restricted content or personal identifiers. Everything would depend on the way the interaction is formulated and whether the model is capable – or not – to interpret the context as a suspect. In this case, the keys appeared without their origin being completely clear. The report does not specify whether this information is part of the model training data, if it was generated from already learned patterns, or if external sources were accessed. Whatever the road, the result was the same: a barrier that should be impassable ended up giving up. Xataka with Gemini | Aerps.com In Xataka | Granada promised them very happy with their new degree of the university. Until his feet stopped

We are one step closer to converting pancreatic islet transplants into a functional therapy against type 1 diabetes

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The incidence of Type 1 diabetes It is less than that of its “sister”, but the World Health Organization esteem that more than 64 million people suffer only in Europe. In Spain, the number of cases exceeds 166,000 according to estimates of the National Health System. A new path. A study led by researchers from the University of Leiden has presented a new production method of endocrine cell groupings for transplantation. This tool could help us advance in this type of treatments against type 1 diabetes. Pancreatic islets. The work focuses on the pancreatic islet transplant. These islets are “groupings” of endocrine cells, hormone producing cells. Type 1 diabetes is triggered when our own immune system attacks pancreatic beta cells, insulin producing cells. The problem of transplanting these islets is to obtain them. An option is to obtain them from deceased donors, but this limits their availability. Another option is to “cultivate them” in laboratory from induced pluripotent stem cells. Easier to say than to do. However, there is a problem to solve, and these stem cells can differentiate themselves in the endocrine cells we are looking for, but they can also differentiate in other cells. “This is a problem because if you want to generate a reliable and safe product we need to be very pure, and that it does not vary in composition or purity from one lot to another,” explained to Sinc Adrián Villalba, an immunologist who works precisely in the development of this type of islets. A new method. In the new work, the team raises a new mechanism that facilitates the process of purifying unwanted cells without harming the integrity of the islets to be transplanted. The mechanism is based on density gradient centrifugation, used to enrich endocrine cell clusters and reduce the number of unwanted cells. The team tested their method successfully in mice. They observed that the transplanted islets remained viable for a period of six months. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Translational Medicine Science. A future still distant. Animals in animals are a key step, but it remains to be determined to what extent we can replicate the success of these first experiments in human cells. The success achieved so much in alive as In vitrothey point to optimism for now, but there is still time until we can see this progress turned into therapy. The team stands out in your work that this is a “fast” and “scalable method to large volumes of cells.” A method that can also be applied to cellular “manufacturing.” They also indicate the possibility of applying this method to contribute to the creation of new and improved cells based on cells in regenerative medicine, “beyond the field of islets (stem cells).” In Xataka | The 42,000 punctures of Elizabeth Hughes and the miraculous discovery of insulin Image | ISENS USA / Jakob Suckale

2025: The rise of functional food and commitment to the environment

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In a world where food consumption is growing due to the use of social networks, it makes way the trends more conscious foodhealthy and friendly to the environment. The trends of 2025 outline it as a year of smarter eating in which the way food is produced and the functionality of what we consume become relevant, which gives value to food. For several years, international organizations such as the United Nations Organization (UN) They have called on countries and the food industry to adopt more environmentally friendly production methods. It is a pending task, but it has experienced progress with an impact on the food choices we make daily and an example is the popularity of plant-based nutrition. This type of diet is on the rise and has a spectrum that goes beyond vegetarians or vegans, according to EuroNews. More and more people are adopting a flexitarian diet that increases the consumption of vegetables over meat, without abandoning the consumption of animal protein. Measurements by the Berlin NGO ProVeg reveal that 24% of Polish consumers identify as flexitarians, quotes Euro News. Added to the growing consumption of vegetables is the trend of zero-waste food, Therefore, there is greater awareness of the consumption of food in all its usable parts and chefs and consumers use recycling techniques and are inclined to use ecological packaging, reusable bags, among others. Functional eating: eating more consciously Consumers value the benefits of food when choosing.Credit: Shutterstock The increase in vegetable consumption is accompanied by a more conscious way of eating, which implies valuing the contributions of food, beyond the ingredients of a recipe. That is why there is more interest on the part of consumers to choose functional foods that provide benefits for health in general. Drinks with medicinal herbs to relieve discomfort, consumption of kombucha and kimchi to improve intestinal health, the use of spices and roots in food to relieve inflammation are just a few examples of the rise of this trend. In the section of Meal from the New York Journal, We publish information on food trends and functional food that you can consult, as well as recipes and tips to make the most of food and reduce food waste. Consultation here. Keep reading:

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