massive

Massive study confirms direct link to heart damage and mortality

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For years science has been warning us that ultra-processed they are a danger because of the effects it has on our body. Something that began as a suspicion about nutritional quality has now become a statistical certaintysince ultra-processed foods not only make you fat, but also directly hit the cardiovascular system. With figures. A new study conducted by Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and published just a few days ago in The American Journal of Medicine has put an alarming figure on the table: high consumption of these products is linked to a 47% higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases. And it is not a study that is based on speculation, but the authors have analyzed the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey corresponding to the period 2021-2023 cwith a sample of 4,787 American adults. How it was done. The methodology is robust because it does not simply look at what participants eat, but the researchers adjusted the results taking into account confounding variables such as age, sex, race, income level and, crucially, smoking. With all this, and eliminating the effect of tobacco and socioeconomic situation of the equation, the result was that those who consume greater amounts of ultra-processed foods are almost 50% more likely to develop heart pathologies compared to those who consume less. It is not an isolated case. If this study were the only one, we might be skeptical. The problem is that it rains in the wet, since the FAU research It arrives to confirm a trend that we had already seen in previous macro studies, consolidating what in science is called a dose-response relationship: the greater the amount of ultra-processed foods, the greater the damage. For this we have the French precedent with a famous studio of the cohort NutriNet-Santéwith more than 100,000 participants, which has already shown that an increase of just 10% in the ultra-processed diet is associated with a 12% increase in total cardiovascular risk. There is more. A meta-analysis published in 2024which reviewed more than a million participants, found a linear relationship in which for each additional daily serving of ultra-processed foods, the risk of cardiovascular events increases by 2.2%. And if we still want more evidence, in Australia A 25-year follow-up of almost 40,000 people linked high UPF consumption with a 19% higher cardiovascular mortality. The new tobacco. The most striking thing about this new research is not only the numbers, but the comparison they make with tobacco and the public health crisis it generated in the 20th century. And while the anti-smoking campaigns achieved drastically reduce deaths due to lung cancer and heart disease, the food industry has filled shelves with products classified as ultra-processed. Because? The mechanism behind this 47% elevated risk appears to be related to systemic inflammation and altered lipid metabolism. It must be taken into account that industrial processing generates polluting byproducts such as acrylamide and uses additives that increase oxidative stress in our body. Basically, the body loses the ability to “cleanse” itself at the cellular level, decreasing antioxidant enzymes and allowing free radicals to damage the inner layer of the vessels, which accelerates the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. This is combined with a nutritional composition with 5 or more ingredients, rich in added sugarssaturated fats and additives, but poor in fiber and micronutrients. A trio that directly impacts blood pressure and insulin resistance, increasing predisposition to diabetes. Images | Darko Trajkovic In Xataka | Making extra rice is no longer a mistake: cooling and reheating it can reduce its calories according to some nutritionists

We have been avoiding aged cheese for years for health reasons. Massive study suggests we were wrong

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For decades, nutritional guides and specific diets focused on ensuring brain health, such as the famous MIND diethave had a common enemy: saturated fats of dairy origin. However, science has now given a turn of the wheel to show us that we were completely wrong. New evidence. A new and comprehensive study published in the magazine Neurology You just turned this belief upside down. After following almost 28,000 people for a quarter of a century, researchers at Lund University have found a surprising association: regular consumption of high-fat cheese and cream not only does not increase the risk of dementia, but seems to reduce it significantly. The Swedish diet. The researchers conducted a median follow-up of 25 years until 2020, cross-referencing dietary data with the Swedish National Patient Registry. The result was that during this type 3,208 were identified cases of dementiaand from here we began to see what these people ate. In this case, those who consumed 50 grams or more of high-fat cheese per day showed a reduced risk of dementia of between 13% and 19% compared to those who did not consume it. Furthermore, consumption of high-fat cream was associated with a 16% reduction in the risk of having full-blown dementia. But there is more. The most curious thing about the finding was the specificity, since similar benefits were not found in low-fat dairy products, nor in regular milk or butter. In this way, you can see that there is something specific in the nutritional matrix of cheese and fermented cream that plays in favor of our brain. Why this cheese. Emily Sonestedt, co-author of the study, She was surprised by the resultsalthough he points out that they have biological logic. While traditional diets limit cheese due to its calorie and saturated fat content, this food is rich in medium chain fatty acids, vitamin K2calcium and high quality proteins. In addition to all this, the fact that it is a fermented food can positively influence the intestinal microbiota, and we know more and more about the direct connection between the intestine and the brain. In this way, maintaining a good microbiota again indicates that it guarantees us having better brain health. You have to be cautious. Before running to the supermarket to buy all the types of cheese on the shelves, it is necessary to put on the usual handbrake in science, since we are talking about an observational study. This means that science points out that two things happen at the same time, but it does not prove 100% that one causes the other. And in this case, lifestyle may be interfering, such as the fact that people who eat cheese in Sweden have other lifestyle habits such as greater physical activity that protect them, although the researchers tried to adjust the variables. The verdict. The idea that “all saturated fat is bad for the brain” is losing steam in the face of evidence that certain complex foods, such as aged cheese or cream, have properties that go beyond their basic nutritional label. As is often the case in nutrition, the key does not seem to be eliminating food groups, but rather understanding the quality and source of what we eat. Images | Aliona Gumeniuk Robina Weermeijer In Xataka | Forgetting things is not a bug, it is a feature of your brain: how not remembering things makes us think better

the founder of Telegram charges against Pedro Sánchez and sends a massive message

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He package of measures of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to regulate social networks has not only aroused the ire of Elon Musk, who has launched several disqualifications through X. It has also provoked a reaction from the CEO and co-founder of Telegram. Pável Dúrov is sending a message this afternoon to Spanish users of the platform in which he frontally rejects the proposal and warns of what, in his opinion, would be its consequences. Hey, you have a message from Durov. If you use Telegram and have a Spanish number, it is very likely that this afternoon you received an unusual notification. The official ‘Telegram’ bot, the same one usually used for security communications such as login codes, displays a message forwarded from the channel @durov. “The government of Pedro Sánchez is promoting new dangerous regulations that threaten your freedoms on the internet,” the text begins. From there, Dúrov promises to “explain” why he considers that the package of measures represents an alarm signal for freedom of expression and privacy. Durov Dúrov’s message translated into Spanish in the Telegram bot Against the prohibition of social networks for minors under 16 years of age. One of the central criticisms of the founder of Telegram points to the proposal to restrict the access of minors under 16 years of age to social networks. Dúrov maintains that such a measure, in practice, would imply strict identity verification controls that would go beyond that age group, citing formulas such as DNI or biometrics. “It sets a precedent for tracking the identity of EVERY user, eroding anonymity and opening doors to mass data collection,” he says. “What starts with minors could spread to everyone, stifling open debate,” he adds. Here it is important to clarify something important: for now, the Government has not fully detailed what specific technical measures would be applied for this age verification, nor how they would be implemented in practice. That is to say, Dúrov’s interpretation is based on a harsh scenario, but the actual implementation will depend on how the initiative ends up being drafted and the mechanism chosen to apply it. Risks of “overcensorship”. The message also focuses on another point of the proposal: tightening the responsibility of the platforms, including their managers, if they do not remove content considered illegal or hateful. According to Dúrov, this would push companies to act preventively and aggressively, with a clear collateral effect on public debate: “this will force over-censorship—the platforms will delete anything minimally controversial to avoid risks, silencing political dissidence, journalism and everyday opinions.” And what about the algorithm? The initiative also proposes legally punishing the manipulation of algorithms and the deliberate amplification of illegal content. Dúrov interprets this point as a potential paradigm shift: that the control of the order of what we see on the Internet becomes a regulated matter with room for political intervention. “Governments will dictate what you see, burying opposing opinions and creating state-controlled echo chambers,” he writes. In the same block, he warns that these types of measures would end up affecting the free circulation of ideas. Measures against polarization. Another leg of the package is the creation of a system described as a “footprint of hate and polarization,” which would quantify how platforms amplify social division and serve as a basis for future sanctions. Durov dwells especially on this point, questioning the fit of categories that, in his opinion, are too open and moldable: “vague definitions of ‘hate’ could label criticism of the government as divisive, leading to closures or fines. This can be a tool to suppress the opposition.” A message without gray, waiting for the small print. Overall, Dúrov presents the proposal as an inseparable block of threats against freedom of expression and privacy, hardly distinguishing between measures or opening room for nuances. It is a reading aligned with Telegram’s usual narrative, which tends to frame regulation as a direct risk to digital rights. But it also leaves a decisive factor in the background: several parts of the plan, as we say, are still pending completion, both in its final formulation and in its technical implementation. Telegram does not come to this debate from scratch. Dúrov’s intervention also occurs in a complicated context for the platform. Telegram has been under the spotlight for some time due to the role played by some channels and groups in the dissemination of content that is difficult to moderate, and due to the recurring debates about responsibility and cooperation with authorities. Added to this is that the founder has been noted in France in the framework of investigations linked to the use of Telegram against criminal activities and certain illegal content. This history helps to understand why these types of messages are not just political criticism. Images | Dima Solomin | Moncloa In Xataka | We don’t know if banning social media for those under 16 is going to solve the problem. Yes we know that it will generate others

AI doesn’t just live on chips, it also requires massive energy, so Google has bought an energy company

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The AI needs a lot of energy and technology companies are already planning how to power their huge data centers. On the table there are such creative ideas as take them to space either submerge them in the sea to reduce its consumption. Google has opted for a more immediate solution: it has purchased an electricity company for data centers. The agreement. Google has purchased Intersect Powera company dedicated to developing energy infrastructure, including renewable energy sources, for data centers. Google has paid $4.75 billion for the San Francisco-based company, in addition to assuming its debt. According to Sundar Pichai: “Intersect will help us expand our capacity, operate with greater agility in the construction of new power generation facilities in line with the new load of data centers, and reinvent energy solutions to drive innovation and American leadership” Why it is important. The agreements of AI companies are usually focused on computing capacity, not energy. This agreement underscores the importance of energy in AI infrastructure, putting it on the same level as the very chips it powers. Data centers are being developed at a brutal pace and energy is presenting itself as a bottleneck. Satya Nadella already said it: there is no power for so many chips. It’s Google ensuring enough “food” for its chips. Yontersec. Google’s relationship with Intersect began just a year ago, when big tech acquired a minority stake in the company. Under this collaboration, several projects have come to light in their data centers. Both these projects and all Intersect personnel are part of the agreement. What the agreement does not include are other company assets, mainly located in Texas and California, worth 15 billion. These will continue to operate under the Intersect brand. Energy. In 2023, data centers already accounted for 4% of the energy consumption of the entire United States, and at the rate at which they are being built, the figure will continue to increase (there is talk of 12% by 2028). The problem is that US electrical infrastructure cannot support that pace and is having consequences for consumers through price increases in electricity. Google assures that with this agreement it will be able to guarantee “an abundant, reliable and affordable energy supply that allows the construction of data center infrastructures without passing on costs to network customers.” Image | Wikipedia, Intersect In Xataka | Talking about artificial intelligence is talking about energy, and the fashionable term is ‘bragawatts’

The DGT is “favoring massive fraud” with the V-16 beacons. We don’t say it, FACUA denounces it

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Of favoring “massive fraud” and “very serious passivity.” This is how Rubén Sánchez, spokesperson for the consumer association FACUA, has defined the attitude taken by the DGT on the occasion of the arrival of the V-16 beacons, which will be mandatory from January 1, 2026 to replace the emergency triangles. The association defends that many drivers have bought beacons that are now useless. But, in addition, the press conference and the company’s statement also leave another door open: who and why are criticizing or defending the measure? “A massive fraud”. The words are not found in the statement issued by FACUA but he does pick them up Europa Press from the mouth of Rubén Sánchez, spokesperson for the association, who has accused the DGT of favoring a “massive fraud” with its “very serious passivity” in the face of V-16 beacons that are sold as “approved by the DGT” but in reality are not legal. At the press conference, Sánchez has been much harsher with Traffic than the association has published on its website, ensuring that “it is silent while a multitude of companies, manufacturers and sales platforms are making money at the expense” of consumers” and that the DGT is doing it “absolutely badly because it has allowed large-scale commercial fraud.” Because? Because some of the V-16 beacons that are sold as “approved by the DGT” are not valid, according to FACUA. The association assures that there are companies using this claim to sell their beacons but these do not meet the connectivity requirements and, therefore, an agent can fine the user if they use it in their car. How is it possible? There are two options in this case. The first is that, directly, the company that is selling these beacons is engaging in fraud. That is, you are knowingly selling a product using a claim that is false. Therefore, the best we can do if we find a particularly cheap beacon is review on the DGT website that we are facing a device that complies with all of the law. The other possibility is that the shopping centers have taken out of storage the beacons that began to be sold before their connection with DGT 3.0 was mandatory. At that time, it made perfect sense that the box stated that they were “approved by the DGT” but obviously they have been out of date. FACUA denounces the following: “The obligation to inform the consumer about “the essential characteristics of the good” and to provide him with “relevant, truthful and sufficient information” about it is also being violated, as established in articles 20.1.b and 60.1 of Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007, of November 16, which approves the consolidated text of the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users and other complementary laws” Tepidity. FACUA’s words contrast with those of other consumer associations. The most obvious case is that of OCU, who have been opposed on some occasions to the measures taken by the DGT, such as environmental labelingbut they have not been dissatisfied with the V-16 beacons. The consumer association has made publications specifying what requirements are necessary to have a V-16 beacon connected or dismantling hoaxes. Posts that come with discounts on subscriptions that have a V-16 beacon attached as an ol giftdirect sale of this product. Beacons, beacons everywhere. And the V-16 beacon has become the star product of Christmas. All the large surfaces are promoting this product with supposed discounts, large online shopping spaces such as AliExpress or Temu They take discounts on the product to their highest point. The companies telephone They deliver it with new contracts, Mail has it in its offices and driver associations such as RACE either RACC They also have theirs. It is the result of a process that has allowed certify the same product with very subtle differences and then sold under different names. The most flagrant and controversial case of recent days is that of Angel Gaitan. He influencer has repeatedly criticized the imposition of this new device but has not lost the opportunity to sell a beacon under your seal which, in reality, is the same as that approved by the inventors of the new device and those who received the first approval from the DGT to sell their beacons presuming complete legality. Photo | Facua In Xataka | Yes, next year I am going to carry the V-16 beacon because they force me to. It doesn’t even occur to me to throw away the triangles

with massive ‘spam’ and 2,000 euros in salary

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In the middle of 2025 the postal mail (Correos knows it well) is not usually news. However, in Belgium there are about 150,000 letterswith their corresponding envelopes, addresses and letterheads, which are giving a lot to talk. Logical if you take into account that the one who sends them is the Ministry of Defense and their recipients are thousands of 17-year-old Belgians whom the Government wants to encourage to join the army or, at least, to try a one-year voluntary ‘military’. In exchange he offers them a net salary of 2,000 euros per month. What has happened? That in Belgium, 17-year-olds have begun to receive a very special letter this week, an invitation from the Ministry of Defense in which they are encouraged to join the army and try a 12-month voluntary military service. It is not a surprise because the letter is the result of a public agreement adopted months agowhen the House of Representatives agreed to “raise awareness” among the country’s youth via postal mail, but still sent the envelopes has generated expectation. The person in charge of announcing it (via X) has been the Minister of Defense himself, Theo Franckenof New Flemish Alliancea nationalist and conservative formation. “Yesterday, 149,000 letters were sent. All 17-year-olds in the country are encouraged to join the armed forces in general and to go on voluntary military service for one year in particular. Let’s go!”, the leader tweeted on Saturday along with several photos in which the envelopes are seen stacked on tables, boxes and inside a bucket. Click on the image to go to the tweet. Are more details known? Yes. Some. For example, the recruits selected for this first voluntary ‘military’ will be eligible for a net salary of 2,000 euros monthly. It is also known that, although letters are being sent now, registration will not open until January 2026. Before then, the Ministry will hold online and in-person information sessions in the different provinces of the country. However, the new military will take a few more months to start. It won’t do it in principle until september. Another interesting fact is that 500 volunteer recruits will be accepted from the outset. between 18 and 25 yearsa figure that should be reached without problems if one takes into account that only a few months ago the Ministry of Defense acknowledged that it expects to receive some 3,500 applications for the first cam. Do you only want 500 recruits? Yes. And no. That will be the starting point, but the goal is to expand it little by little. After the first batch of 500 volunteers, the idea is that the number of places will be expanded to 1,000 in 2027 and continue to strengthen with a view to reach 7,000. Once the military begins, recruits will participate in a ten-week basic military training phase, which will be followed by another more specific stage. The purpose? That the new soldiers end up accessing the different branches of the army and are in charge of maintenance work. surveillance and support. What does Belgium want? Strengthen (and rejuvenate) your army. “It is about opening the mind to the military, about telling young people that defense is an option, even an opportunity. The objective is also to make young people aware that the world has changed and that there is a threat that weighs on our country. It is a social project,” explained Francken recently Le Soir. The truth is that to meet its objectives the Government needs to increase the pace of recruitment. As remember The Countryciting the Belgian press, today Defense enlists about 2,800 soldiers a year. The figure serves to maintain its volume of 24,600 troops (thousands of reservists are added to them), but it seems difficult to allow it to reach the tens of thousands of troops that it wants to add in the medium term. Belgian News Agency points out that in a decade officials intend to expand the Defense workforce to 34,500 soldiers12,800 reservists and 8,500 civilians. Does context matter? Yes. And quite a bit. Data from the Macrotrends platform show a considerable drop in the number of Belgian military personnel over the last 30 years, a decline especially acute in the early 1990s, just when Belgium decided to abolish compulsory military service. At that time the geopolitical scenario was marked by the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, today it is marked by the war in Ukraine, the break with Putin’s Russia, the threats of Donald Trump to leave NATO and an increase in military investment. In fact in spring The Belgian Government decided to increase its defense spending to reach NATO’s goal of dedicating 2% of GDP to the sector. Today the alliance is already looking beyond, to a mobilization of 5%. Is it a unique case? No. And perhaps that is the most revealing. That Belgium has decided to opt for a mandatory military service is part of a more global attempt to strengthen armies in the West. Not long ago there was another nation that moved in a similar direction: Germany. His Government has moved to recover military service, suspended in 2011, with a voluntary recruitment system. The possibility of a “recruitment lottery”. Neither Belgium nor Germany they are alone. In recent years, especially after the Russian annexation of Crimea, a good number of countries They have strengthened their recruitment systems or (at least) opened the debate on recovering their military: from Lithuania, Latvia and Romania to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway or Denmark. Spain discard recover compulsory service (abolished in 2001), although there are other formats, such as military camps, which are arousing interest. Is there debate? Yes, the topic raises debate. And Belgium once again provides a good example. There the military has been received with criticismespecially from youth organizations that fear that “the promise of a high salary can exploit the precarious situation of young people and make militaristic discourse socially acceptable for a generation in … Read more

The patch to avoid another massive blackout is going to cost us 731 million euros. Iberdrola has already begun to collect it

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The blackout on April 28 did not come free, and we consumers are going to pay for it. Iberdrola has confirmed that the extra cost caused by the “reinforced mode” that was activated after the massive blackout. And everything indicates that the rest of the electric companies will follow in their footsteps. what has happened. They tell it in The World. Until now, the impact of the blackout on the bill had been limited because the CNMC intervened so that the electricity companies could not modify the price for customers who have contracted fixed rates. FACUA also issued a statement warning that rates could not be raised if it did not appear in the contract. The blackout was more than six months ago, more than enough time for many free market contracts to have been renewed. This has given Iberdrola the opportunity to introduce clauses that allow them to pass the cost on to customers. Reinforced mode After the blackout, the so-called “reinforced mode” was activated. This adjustment involves intervening in the market to incorporate more conventional energy (gas, hydroelectric and nuclear) and limiting the entry of renewables with the aim of avoiding voltage failures. And of course, these energies are more expensive, in addition to requiring more auxiliary services to stabilize the network. The problem is that this It started as a patch after the blackout, but it has become the new normal which remains half a year later. The cost. It covers from the blackout until September and amounts to 210 million euros distributed between Spain and Portugal. Of this sum, Spain assumes the majority, with 180 million euros. Iberdrola regrets that the change in the system by Red Eléctrica is entailing an extra cost that “affects our results” and they hope to transfer 70% of this amount to their clients before the end of the year. Not just Iberdrola. Nothing prevents the rest of the electricity marketers from following in Iberdrola’s footsteps. According to El Mundo, the total cost of the reinforced mode in these six months amounts to 731 million euros and it looks like it will remain active for longer, so this amount will increase. The CNMC warns that any change in contract prices must be communicated transparently. From one pocket to another. In the Iberian Peninsula there are five nuclear power plants, 1,300 hydroelectric plants and some 200 gas plants. These conventional (non-renewable) energy plants are providing more energy as long as the boosted mode remains active and they are receiving more income for it. What is striking is that they mostly belong to private companies such as Iberdrola, Naturgy either Endesawho are the ones who will end up increasing the price of the invoice. Images | Wikipedia In Xataka | Five months later we continue to discover things about the blackout in Spain. And the news is getting worse for Europe

This is the “danger zone” we enter after the massive death of corals

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The Earth has officially entered a grim new era. climate reality. According to a shocking new reportthe incessant increase in heat in the oceans has pushed the corals from around the world beyond its limit, causing a unprecedented large reef mortality because of this climate change. Something that is not good news at all. This event, according to scientists, marks the first climate tipping point we have passed as a planet, directly threatening the livelihoods of nearly a billion people. The report. This data has been collected in the “Global Tipping Points Report 2025”, prepared by an international consortium of more than 200 researchers. And the truth is that they are not at all positive, since they suggest that even in the most optimistic scenario, where global warming does not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, practically all warm-water coral reefs will exceed a point of no return. This makes their loss “one of the most pressing ecological losses facing humanity,” although the disappearance of corals is only the tip of the iceberg. Experts point out that since 2023 we have witnessed how the temperature has increased more than 1.5 °C compared to the pre-industrial average. In this way, exceeding the 1.5 °C limit now seems quite inevitable and could occur around 2030, something that puts our planet on the brink of an abyss. What are ‘turning points’. These points are nothing more than critical thresholds. Once crossed, the climate system is pushed into a new paradigm, triggering effects that will go on in a chain. Specifically, we talk about events such as widespread death of the Amazon rainforestthe collapse of the Greenland ice sheets or the collapse of the circulation of Atlantic southern overturn (AMOC). The Amazon, in particular, is in a critical situation. The report warns that not only warming threatens the forest, but also the combination of this with deforestation. With 1.5°C warming, only 22% deforestation would be enough to reach its point of no return. The current figure is already at an alarming 17%. All is not lost. Despite the bleak outlook, the report identifies a silver lining, which is nothing more than a paradigm shift that, unlike the negative ones, triggers a cascade of beneficial changes. Since 2023, the world has seen very rapid progress in the adoption of clean technologies, especially in two key areas: velectric vehicles and photovoltaic solar energy. Accompanied by a drastic drop in battery prices, these factors are beginning to reinforce each other, accelerating the energy transition in a way that few anticipated. The problem. According to the report’s authors, it lies in governance systems. From national policies to multinational agreements, such as the from Pariswere not designed to address turning points. They are designed to manage gradual, linear changes, not abrupt, cascading collapses on multiple fronts at once. But these turning points are really threatening, so they point to a series of immediate actions to be taken in all countries to avoid a catastrophic situation. In this case they point to the following: Reduce emissions of short-lived pollutants such as methane and black carbon. Accelerate efforts to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Making global supply chains sustainable. Develop mitigation strategies for climate impacts. The message is clear and forceful: what we have done so far is not enough. Researchers urge not to look away. As Milkoreit concludes, “even having a reader have the courage to stay with the problem is work, and I want to recognize that work.” Images | quinguyen Chris LeBoutillier In Xataka | In the fight against climate change, we have developed the air conditioning revolution: ionocaloric cooling

Japan has found the three most serious problems of the massive arrival of tourists. And none has to do with tourists

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Summer has confirmed two things around Japan’s tourist success: avalanche has been bigger than expected, and the nation I wasn’t so prepared As I believed. In fact, they have even had the idea of give away flights to foreigners to encourage them beyond the congested Tokyo. In contrast to tourist hordes, Japanese They barely travel To other countries. And that explains many of the evils that the country is finding quite well. The shadow of discomfort. Japan has passed in just two decades of being considered a expensive destination and reserved for a few to become one of the main tourist poles World Cups The number of foreign visitors has grown from 6.7 million in 2005 to almost 37 million in 2024with 2025 on the way to beat a new record. The government aspires to reach 60 million in 2030supported by the global manga popularity, anime and Japanese culture, as well as events such as Tokyo Olympic Games and Osaka’s Expo. The problem? That what I know promoted how A “Inbound Tourism Boom” has become qualified by many as “tourist”, with agglomeration scenes at famous crosses such as Kamakurakomoe’s or in Kyoto’s temples. The initial enthusiasm has given way To growing complaints On noise, strange manners, garbage and pressure on housing and hospitality prices. The weight of the economy and demography. However, when the nation has counted the evils of such discomfort, it has been found that the main problems He has them at homeit was not. Behind that discomfort underlies a psychological element linked to the relative decline of Japan. The strong devaluation of Yen It has made the country cheap for foreigners, but at the same time it has reduced the ability of Japanese young people to travel abroad. For a population that ages quickly (With 16% of over 75 years old) see tourists who marvel at how cheap it is everything A humiliating contrast With the eighties, when Japan was the most expensive country in the world and its own boomers they toured the planet with the latest generation cameras. He Hotel increase (more than double since 2021) and the pressure On rentals In cities such as Kyoto generate the feeling that the economic benefits of tourism do not translate into real improvements in the life of residents. Kyoto redefinition. If there is a place that embodies the debate, it is Kyoto. The old capital, famous for its temples and their geishas, ​​is so congested that many Japanese today consider it an awkward destination and even avoid traveling there. School excursions, once a passage rite, They deviate to cities such as Kanazawa or Nagasaki due to delays, agglomerations and increasing costs. For the inhabitants, the avalanche has raised rentals and Modified social fabricto the point that some experts ensure that the city already meets the definition of Overtourism: When the normal life of its residents is compromised. Historical memory and new tensions. It is not the first time that Japan faces a tourist saturation problem. In the sixties and seventies, internal prosperity generated OLADAS OF DOMESTIC TRAVELS that transformed cities such as Kyoto or Nara, with complaints similar to the current ones. Remembered the Financial Times that then There was talk of “Tourist pollution”, and some anthropologists warned that residents ran the risk of becoming “strangers of strangers” in their own land. Today that Speech resurfacesamplified by social networks with viral tourist videos chasing geishashanging of toriis or violating rules of coexistence. A new term has even coined, “Touristphobia”to describe the mixture of tiredness, irritation and rejection that generates the massification, sometimes dyed of a xenophobic background. Tourism as a political weapon. The issue has entered fully into Japanese politics. In full leadership election of the Democratic Liberal Party, figures as healthy takaichi They have turned the issue into a flag, linking the discomfort of tourists with the Immigration debates and the arrival of foreign workers, increasingly necessary for the shortage of labor. The rhetoric against the “tourist abuse” intermingles with warnings about an alleged threat to national identity. Thus, the debate on tourism ceases to be just a matter of urban management to become a symbol of deeper anxieties about the future of the country. The forgotten of the map. Meanwhile, they remembered In the Financial Times What regions like Fukui show the other face of the currency. With a recently extended bullet train from Tokyo, a world -class dinosaurs museum and outstanding cultural enclaves remains one of the prefectures less visited For foreigners. Their hotels and transport fail to attract enough travelers and their problem is not excess, but The lack of tourists. There, the mayor admits that they have not yet seen or a trace of the hordes. This contrast reflects a central dilemma: Japan needs to better distribute the benefits of tourism, encourage repeated visits and direct the flow to still non -saturated areas, but lacks the infrastructure and political vision necessary to achieve it. A nation mirror. The debate on tourism is ultimately a mirror of Japanese society. Talk about a country agingwho feels the pressure of A weak currencywhich recalls with nostalgia the times of its economic preeminence and that faces the Challenge of managing The massive arrival of foreigners in cities that are exceeded. The challenge is not only to limit agglomerations, but in redefining the relationship between residents and visitors, between their own economy and coexistence, between opening and identity protection. Thus, Japan, which in the past exported millions of tourists, is now seen in the difficult position of learning to manage their own attraction. Image | Pexels, Pexels In Xataka | While Japan is crowded with tourists, the Japanese barely travel to other countries. The reason: only 17% have a passport In Xataka | In Japan tourism has become a problem. So have an idea: give away flights to foreigners

A massive study links it with a higher risk of chronic pain in adult

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During generations, the message has been the same: menstrual pain is normal, a “girls” to endure. But the reality is that a pain of great draft never It is something that should have been normalized. Now, a Longitudinal study Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe comes to disassemble this myth and to give an alarm voice: Have painful periods In adolescence it is linked to health problems in the future. A public health problem. The methodology of this study has been based on the monitoring of more than a thousand participants in the United Kingdom for decades. In this way, not only has it been confirmed, it has been concluded that the more severe the menstrual pain at age 15, the greater the probability of developing chronic pain a decade later, at 26. In this way, menstrual pain goes from being normalized to a serious public health problem. A methodology with long -term views. To get to this conclusion, the researchers They used data of the Longitudinal Avon Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), An ambitious project that has followed the lives of thousands of people since birth in the 90s. They analyzed the information of 1,157 participants, evaluating the severity of their menstrual pain at 15 years classified as null, mild, moderate or severe. Subsequently, once these participants were already 26 years old, an analysis of their health status was carried out by asking if They suffered some kind of chronic pain. Something that was defined as a pain that lasted at least three months. Worrying figures. After adjusting the data to rule out the influence of other factors such as BMIthe socioeconomic level or previous mental health problems, the results were clear. The first of all, is that adolescents with moderate dysmenorrhea, that is, with strong enough pain to not be able to ignore it, they had an extra 65% probability of suffering chronic pain in the adult stage compared to those without menstrual pain. In the case of the most severe dysmenorrhea, which prevent normal activities, the risk is triggered up to 76% of suffering chronic pain in the future. These data translate into an increase in absolute risk of 12.7 and 16.2 percentage points, respectively. It is a difference too big to be ignored. The study also revealed how common this problem is: almost 60% of adolescents in the sample reported moderate to severe menstrual pain. A problem that extends through the body. One of the most interesting findings in the study is that the association is not limited to the classic abdominal or lumbar pain, which could be considered an extension menstrual pain. What happens in this case is that adolescents with severe dysmenorrhea show a greater risk of chronic head pain, back, knees, dolls, hips and thighs. Because? The authors of the study suggest that behind all this is a central sensitivity. To understand it, we must bear in mind that in adolescence there is a great neuroplasticity, where the nervous system is especially moldable. The repeated experience of intense and poorly managed pain, such as dysmenorrhea, can “train” the nervous system so that it becomes hypersensitive. In essence, the brain and spinal cord learns to be in a constant alert state, which increases vulnerability to develop other types of pain in the future, even in those areas that are not at all related. For Dr. Rachel Reid-McCann, principal researcher, “It is possible that the experience of moderate or severe menstrual pain can alter the structure of the brain and how it works in response to painful stimuli, making chronic pain more likely in the future.”. It is not a purely psychological. In the study itself, researchers have seen a relationship between dysmenorrhea and a subsequent increased symptoms related to anxiety and depression. But these factors only explained a small part of the connection with chronic pain and this reinforces the idea that the main cause is a physiological mechanism, and not simply that “pain is in the head.” You have to stop normalizing pain. The conclusion of the study is a call to action for father, educators and, above all, for the health system. Normalize menstrual pain and dispatch it as “is normal” has great long -term consequences. And that will go to the health system. The researchers point out that menstrual stigma and the lack of education on menstrual health cause many young people not to seek help, or that when they do, their complaints are minimized. In this way, it is believed that early identification and good control of dysmenorrhea can be key to improving the immediate well -being of adolescents and preventing the appearance of serious health problems in the future. Images | Saranya7 In Xataka | A baby, three parents (biological): a promising fertilization technique that, for now, we will not see in Spain

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