keeping

Alzheimer’s leaves its mark decades before showing its face:; keeping vitamin D at bay is already a promising shield

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Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia remain one of the most complex medical puzzles of our era, standing out above all for the absence of treatments that completely stop the disease or even reverse it. But science continues to advance and has now focused on a preventive factor that could be in our hands from a young age: vitamin D. It keeps moving forward. The main study that has sparked interest was published at the beginning of this month of April in the magazine Neurology. And the objective of this was none other than to shed light on how our brain behaves decades before the classic symptoms of dementia appear. To get here, a total of 793 participants from the renowned Framingham Heart Study with an average age of 39 years were monitored. From here, the serum vitamin D of the patients began to be measured between 2002 and 2005, and then, at the age of 16, they underwent different scans to check the state of the brain. What was seen. In conclusion, the study pointed out that maintaining higher levels of vitamin D, greater than 30 nanograms per mL, during the ages of 30 to 40 is associated with less subsequent accumulation of the tau protein in the brain. Because it matters. The relevance of this discovery is crucial and to understand it, you just have to know that Alzheimer’s occurs because two factors mainly come together: Beta-amyloid protein plaques, which accumulate outside neurons. Neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein, which form within the brain cells themselves and are closely linked to neuronal death and cognitive decline. In this way, the effort of science right now is focused above all on blocking the formation of beta-amyloid plaques around neurons or preventing the tau protein from accumulating in our neurons. Although it is something really complicated. There is a nuance. Interestingly, the study found no association between midlife vitamin D levels and beta-amyloid accumulation. The protective effect is limited exclusively to the tau protein, especially in the brain regions where Alzheimer’s usually strikes its first blows. This is good news, as it narrows down the biological mechanisms involved and suggests that vitamin D could play a specific role in the pathways that regulate how tau is produced or eliminated over the years. There is small print. As they warn in the press release itself, this is a simple observational study. This means that it is true that people with higher vitamin D in middle age accumulated less tau protein, but the study cannot categorically state that vitamin D destroys tau protein on its own. Furthermore, the authors of the study themselves are categorical: this finding is not a medical prescription. There is no current evidence to justify that massively supplementing with vitamin D pills at age 40 will protect the brain against dementia. This simply paves the way for future research to truly test this relationship in a clinical trial and lead to new treatments. Images | catalyststuff freepik In Xataka | More than half of the population in Spain has a vitamin D deficiency. Now a study questions the benefits of supplementation

If the question is how much salary you would be willing to give up for keeping teleworking, Europeans are clear: zero

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Teleworking has been one of the Great changes in the organization of the labor market in Europe, although its objective has changed as normality was restored and companies returned to its offices. It was no longer an obligation imposed by COVID-19, but a benefit that It contributed time flexibility For conciliation and, above all, an effective weapon to attract and retain talent. In this context of “labor benefit”, the question of whether workers would be willing to sacrifice part of their salary to maintain the option of working from home has gained relevance between companies. The European Central Bank (ECB) has asked European employees to what percentage of salary would be willing to give up in exchange for maintaining teleworking. Their answers leave no doubt. Nor for all the money in the world. According to data extracted from the Consumer expectations survey (CES) From the European Central Bank, 70% of European workers are not willing to give up any part of their salary in exchange for Teleworking. On the other hand, 13% of the respondents would accept a reduction that would range between 1% and 5%, while only 8% would consent to a more significant salary reduction between 6% and 10%. This data is especially precious to companies since it allows quantifying the value that employees give to the possibility of teleworking, especially when this flexibility is offered as part of an emotional salary for the worker. Percentage of workers who would accept a salary cut and cutting percentage More and more teleworking … but hybrid. So much The data of Eurostat, like those of the Active Population Survey From the first quarter of 2025, they point out that teleworking levels They are maintainedboth European and nationally, well above the prepazed levels recorded in 2019. That means that there is more and more active population working from home. The greatest change that has occurred is that, while before 2019 the most common option was 100% remote work, now the most imposed modality is hybrid work in which work days and teleworking days are combined. That condition of hybrid day too Condition the salary percentage to which employees are willing to give up to keep teleworking. More teleworking, greater sacrifice. The data of the European Central Bank indicate that the most widespread option is to work two or three days a week from home and the rest from the office. For this formula, European workers would be willing to reduce their salary by an average of 2.6% to maintain that regime. The more teleworking days are offered, the greater the salary proportion than some would be willing to sacrifice. An employee who works his entire work week would accept a reduction of 4.6% of his salary, while those who only telework one day a week would barely contemplate 1.6% of cuts. The return to the office increases its pressure. In Europe, companies are not pressing their employees so much To return to your offices as the US companies are doing. This lower pressure is also reflected in the salary cuts that employees are willing to accept. In it Teleworking Study Study That researchers from Stanford and Chicago University have been doing for more than five years, it is noted that the average salary reduction accepted by remote work in the US is around 7%. This difference suggests that in Europe teleworking is no longer considered An exceptional privilegebut part of the basic working conditions in numerous sectors. The problem of eliminating teleworking. Given these data, some companies could be tempted to eliminate teleworking, or take advantage of the attachment of employees for this day model to reduce salaries. However, that plan that seems attractive in the short term, becomes a bad idea in the medium and long term. Telework has become a tool of the Human Resources Department for attract and retain a qualified personnel increasingly scarce. Just observe the waves of resignations and internal conflicts that have generated return policies to the office of Amazon Or, at a closer level, the Holaluz energy. However, offering some teleworking modality makes vacancies take less to cover themselves Because there are more candidates calling companies that maintain these models, and employees who already work on them have better levels of satisfaction. In Xataka | Australia reveals something that had not been taken into account: teleworking is only productive if you wish, not if they impose it Image | Unspash (Coworking macherzentrum toggenburg)

More and more voices think that keeping food in plastic is not a good idea

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A kitchen that boards has a drawer up to numerous tuppers with the tapas on the other hand. Although it is not the only place, we open the fridge and find even more stacked: some keep the leftovers of noon, others contain freshly taken food from their original container. Behind this daily life – so assumed that goes unnoticed – hides an uncomfortable question: are we storing our food well? The plastic under suspicion. Light, cheap, resistant: plastic became the great ally of modern cuisine. However, recent studies call their safety when they come into contact with food. A BBC report He explained That thousands of chemicals are part of their composition and that some can migrate to food, especially when they come into contact with fatty, acid or hot foods. The problem is not only the food we keep, but also the use we give: the microwave, the dishwasher or the rayons due to repeated use accelerate the release of compounds. And microplastics. To them is added another invisible problem. As Delish magazine has pointed outtuppers release microplastics, tiny particles that have already been found in blood, lungs and even human placenta. A health problem. The debate about tuppers is not a simple kitchen detail: what is at stake is hormonal health. Many of the compounds that migrate from food plastics are classified as endocrine disruptors, substances capable of altering the balance of our hormones. The best known case is bisphenol A (BPA), used for decades in rigid plastics and linked to fertility and development problems. The European Food Security Authority (EFSA) recently reviewed its safety and reduced tolerable intake at a level 20,000 times lower than the previous one. Something similar happens with phthalates, employees to give flexibility to plastic and also associated with hormonal and reproductive alterations, As the BBC has detailed. Plans b. However, trusting alternatives is not a guarantee either. The Guardian He has warned that compounds used as BPA substitutes – the so -called BPS and BPF – have similar effects on the body. AND, According to a study cited by The I Papermore than 3,600 chemicals of plastic containers present in humans have been identified, many of them barely studied. Therefore, some expert voices are overwhelming. Lisa Zimmerman, from Food Packaging Forum, summarized it like this For the same medium: “If you care about your health, you should throw your plastic tuppers and use glass or steel.” The stations also influence. Beyond chemicals, summer heat adds another threat: bacteria. In statements collected by El Confidencialdietitian Judit Carreira, from the Sant Pau Hospital, explained that high temperatures favor food poisoning. Its advice is clear: transport the taperes in thermal bags or portable refrigerators, avoid exposing them to the sun and, above all, separating raw cooked in the fridge to prevent cross contamination. “When you return from the supermarket, the meat and the raw fish should be removed from the container and stored in a clean taper,” He has insisted. He also remembered the four basic food security rules: clean, separate, cook and cool. So, throw all my tuppers? It is not about emptying the kitchen, but of changing habits. Various media They coincide In a series of recommendations: Avoid reheating in plastic: although the container indicates “suitable for microwave”, heat accelerates chemical migration. Reserve them only for cold or dry foods, never for oily, acid or hot meals. Replace them if they are scratched, deformed or with persistent smell. Opt for glass, steel or ceramics for hot meals or prolonged conservation. Now, not all alternatives are perfect. Ceramics, although it is considered safe if it is certified, can be a problem in cases of artisanal productions. The mail reported a few months ago The case of a family of Getxo (Vizcaya) poisoned with lead after drinking for years of an enameled ceramic jug bought in Andalusia. Lead, prohibited in pottery since the 60s, can cause abdominal pain, anemia or neurological alterations. An easier life, at risk. It is true that tuppers have made our lives easier, but they have also exposed us to a chemical soup not yet known. Science still investigates the cumulative effects, but there is consensus on something simple: heat, fat and plastic do not combine well. Perhaps the true luxury of modern cuisine is not accumulating containers of all sizes, but choosing containers that take care of our health. Image | Unspash Xataka | I have a decade teleworking and I have discovered the best productivity trick: plan a weekly meal menu

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