study

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

Science has been measuring whether size matters for years. A study with 3D simulation has the most complete answer

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It is probably one of the most recurring questions in the history of humanity and, yet, one of the ones that accumulates the most myths per square meter. Leaving aside popular culture and internet forums, scientific literature has been trying for years to quantify what is true about the importance penis size. Science to the rescue. A published study This year, PLOS Biology wanted to resolve a question that has undoubtedly generated many jokes and also some complexes in the male sex. And the truth is that the short answer to this question is that size does matterbut perhaps not for the reasons most men believe. The signal theory. Until now, many studies were based on simple surveys to answer this question. However, this study has gone one step further by using 343 3D figures to evaluate the response of more than 800 participants. The goal was to understand penis size not only as a reproductive tool, but as an evolutionary signaling trait. The results. In the investigationfemale participants rated men as more attractive, which combined three factors: greater height, a “V” shaped torso (wide shoulders and narrow hips) and a larger penis. But there is a very important nuance. Attraction doesn’t follow a line of “the more the merrier” ad infinitum. The study in this case detected diminishing returns, since after a certain size, attractiveness does not increase proportionally, but rather there is a ceiling. Competence. But men also went through this study to evaluate the size of other men. In this case, it was highlighted that they perceived those with larger genitals as more competitive rivals and with greater fighting capacity. This suggests that, evolutionarily, the size could have served as both sexual ornament and a signal of status or threat towards other males, similar to the antlers of a deer. What they prefer. If we move away from evolutionary theory and go to stated preference, the baseline study remains the one published by N. Prause in PLOS One in 2015. This work is key because it differentiated, for the first time with rigor, between the type of relationship sought. In this case, using 3D models on heterosexual women, a preference was specifically shown for a slightly larger size, averaging about 16.3 cm in length in an erect state and 12.7 cm in circumference. But in the case of stable couples, the preference dropped slightly to 16 cm and 12.2 cm in circumference. The key reading. The first point to note is that circumference matters more than length in visual choice. The second is that these measures are only “slightly” above the population average. A mechanical reality. This is where science busts most porn myths. A narrative review published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2023 analyzed the existing literature To answer the million-dollar question: does a larger penis give more pleasure? The answer is a very nuanced ‘it depends’. Science points out in this case that there are few high-quality studies that manage to directly link size with the organism, and the results are heterogeneous. But if we draw a clear conclusion, the truth is that the quality of the relationship such as trust or communication correlates more strongly with sexual satisfaction than the size of the penis. Male anxiety. If female preferences are moderate and satisfaction depends more on technique than size, why is there still so much anxiety among society? The studies in this case They point out that there is a great disconnection between reality and male perception, since approximately 38% of men report some degree of dissatisfaction with their penis. However, the vast majority of couples have a positive view of their partners’ genitals. Images | Deon Black In Xataka | Desire in times of stress and screens: this is how the era of programmed sex was born

A macro study warns that well-being plummets if you have not had a partner at 25

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There was a time when being single at 20 was something seen as a style of independence and self-discovery. However, science has put a figure on a table that changes this concept that we could have in our minds: from the age of 25, the emotional well-being of those who have never had a relationship begins to suffer. A change of vision. It was the University of Zurich which has decided to take the step of investigating the “social clock” of the youngest in society, which has given an article published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Right now, many studies were focused on the impact of dating apps and how the flirting paradigm has changed today. But they have taken a turn to investigate 17,390 young people from Germany and the United Kingdom, tracking their lives from ages 16 to 29 with the aim of correlating their emotional life with their romantic situation. A “single” profile. One of the conclusions most striking of the research of Michael Kremer and his team are the ones who stay single the longest. Against the stereotype that being single is a purely bohemian choice, data shows clear patterns. First of all, men are more likely to remain single for a long timeThat is, they have never had a romantic relationship. But in addition, there is a direct correlation with a high academic training, since young people with higher educational levels They tend to delay their first relationship. The environment. But a great paradigm shift in recent years is undoubtedly in poor access to housing. The fact that many young people continue to live with their parents is undoubtedly a great determining factor in this love trajectory for young people. The turning point. Until age 23 or 24, there are no critical differences in life satisfaction between those who have had a partner and those who have not. However, upon crossing the 25-year threshold, the gap widens. In this case, the researchers detected that young people who have never been in a relationship show significantly higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms as they approach 30. According to the authors, this is because the social environment begins to put pressure implicitly, and the comparison with peers (who already establish long-term commitments) generates a feeling of exclusion. The healing power. But beyond the negative part for all those who have spent 25 years without a partner, the reality is that they have also seen that the first relationship It has incredible healing power. Especially when we talk about these long-term singles who find a partner. The transition to the first relationship brings an immediate increase in life satisfaction and a drastic drop in feelings of loneliness. Interestingly, although loneliness decreases, depressive symptoms take longer to stabilize, suggesting that the lack of previous experience leaves an emotional imprint that is not instantly erased with the first “I love you.” Social pressure. This work opens an interesting debate about mental health in the era of dating apps and job insecurity. Although society increasingly values ​​autonomy, the human brain appears to still respond to traditional social milestones. For Michael Krämer and his team, the problem is not singleness itself, but the mismatch between the desire for connection and the reality of a solitary life that extends beyond what the individual, or his or her environment, considers “normal.” And today there is above all pressure from the family that does not stop asking classic questions about when someone is going to have a partner to take them to family events. This is nothing more than a big problem for young people who see how they are arriving late to something that for many people is normal, especially if we look at the past where relationships and marriages increasingly emerged much earlier. Images | Vitaly Gariev In Xataka | Traditional couples have always aspired to live under the same roof. The LAT believes it is a huge mistake

We believed that pets were replacing children. One study suggests just the opposite

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The first time I saw a dog in a stroller was in a shopping mall. It passed me like any child’s stroller: wheels, hood, a small package inside. I looked twice because it seemed too small for a baby, and it wasn’t. Inside there was a dog. I remember well that he was a french bulldog and her name was Chanel. Over time, the scene stopped seeming exceptional to me. I started seeing dog strollers in downtown neighborhoods, parks or even on public transportation. An image that has become a symbol of something deeper: the feeling that, in aging societies, pets are occupying a place that children once had. But what if that reading was incomplete, or outright wrong? What if, far from replacing children, pets were playing another role in family life? A new academic study challenges a widely held belief. To begin with, the numbers help to understand why suspicion has established itself in the public debate. In Spain, according to the Spanish Network for the Identification of Pet Animals (REIAC)in 2023 there were more than ten million dogs registered compared to less than two million children between 0 and 4 years old. A difference so wide that it invites, almost automatically, to think about a change within homes. The scenes that come from outside reinforce that impression. South Korea has crossed a symbolic threshold: More strollers are now sold for dogs than for babies. It is not an exaggeration, it is the statistical reflection of a country in demographic emergency. The trend has caught on so much that even faith has adapted. In Japanese temples such as Ichigaya Kamegaoka, the ancient ritual of Shichi-Go-San —previously exclusive for children— has filled with snouts and straps. In the absence of infants, sanctuaries bless pets to prevent their liturgies from being left without protagonists. Against this backdrop, political and moral interpretations have proliferated. In 2022, Pope Francis described as “selfish” to those who prefer to have animals rather than children. In South Korea, then Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo He even stated that young people They “love their dogs” instead of starting families. A resounding diagnosis that, until now, had relied more on cultural symbols and perceptions than on contrasted data. Disassembling the narratio The idea that pets replace children has just received a serious corrective from academic research. The study Cats, Dogs, and Babiesled by researchers Kuan-Ming Chen and Ming-Jen Lin from National Taiwan University, has analyzed for more than a decade the behavior of millions of homes. Research has concluded that people who adopt a dog are up to 33% more likely to have a child later than those who do not. Far from displacing paternity, the animal seems to act as a preliminary step. This is what the authors call the “child of practice effect.” As Chen and Lin explainmany couples use the experience of caring for a dog to evaluate their willingness to take on responsibilities: routines, expenses, and emotional bonds. If the experience is positive, it increases confidence to take the next step towards human parenthood. However, there is no change in sight. Neither the Taiwanese study nor the experts who analyze the demographic winter maintain that the increase in pets will translate, by itself, into a rebound in birth rates. The academic work itself warns that this is a country-specific analysis and that patterns may vary depending on the cultural, economic and social context. The cart as a metaphor The study does not propose pets as response to demographic declinebut as a clue about how care decisions are postponed today in a context of economic and vital uncertainty. This reading fits with what sociologists and demographers point out in Spain. As reflected in the analysis of my colleague in Xatakathe drop in the birth rate responds to widely documented structural factors: job insecurity, rising housing costs, difficulties in conciliation, delay in emancipation and increasingly later motherhood. In this scenario, pets do not displace children; They occupy the space left by a postponed vital project. For this reason, the image of the dog in a stroller summarizes this ambiguity well. As Dr. Jerry Klein explainschief veterinarian of the American Kennel Club, these strollers can have a practical function in certain cases: “They offer elderly dogs, dogs with arthritis or mobility problems a way to enjoy the outdoors without straining themselves.” Veterinary platforms such as Dialvet either ToeGrips They agree that they can help protect paws from hot asphalt or help small dogs who cannot keep up with long walks. However, other experts urge caution. Carlos Carrasco, from DOS Training, warns in La Voz de Galicia that “a dog is not a child with hair” and that carrying a healthy animal in a stroller can be a “humiliation” that denaturalizes it. Along the same lines, ethologist Isabel Jiménez, director of La Manada de Iris, points out in IM Veterinaria that excessive humanization “nullifies the dog as a species and makes it emotionally ill.” a study published in Animals (MDPI) reinforces this idea, warning that anthropomorphism can generate anxiety and stress in the animal by not respecting its basic biological needs, such as smelling and walking. Finally, the rise of pets does not alone explain the demographic winter, but it does reveal how forms of affection and responsibility are reconfigured in societies where having children has become more complex. The Taiwanese study does not offer miracle solutionsbut there is a clear warning: facing pets and children as if they were exclusive options oversimplifies a much more nuanced reality. Perhaps, when we see a dog in a stroller, we are not looking at the symbol of renunciation, but rather at the reflection of a generation that postpones irreversible decisions while looking for possible forms of care. Before blaming the puppies, it might be worth looking at the system surrounding those who are hesitant to become parents. Image | Unsplash Xataka | As Japan runs out of children, it’s starting to adopt some ceremonies for one group on the … Read more

A study analyzed the power of LED car headlights. The conclusion is what all drivers already know

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I hate traveling at night, almost as much as drive in rain. It had been a while since I went to a national one, but a few days ago I had to do it and what had to happen happened: I was dazzled on more than one occasion. Car headlights have evolved tremendously in a short time and LEDs have prevailed in new vehicles. The problem is that every time there are more signs that we have gone too far with its evolution. And a new report puts a percentage on how dangerous they can be if they are not properly calibrated… or if the car that uses them is an SUV. In short. Whether because you have a new car or because you update the headlights of a car with a few years behind it, they are one of the elements that are most appreciated on the journeys. They see you better, you see better and it is one of the most important points in terms of safety behind the wheel. If the height is correct and they are well calibrated, they are a pleasure, but it can also happen that this is not the case and they dazzle or dazzle you. There, security goes to hell for a few seconds. The British Department for Transport has published the results of a study about glare caused by LED lights. Your conclusion? They represent a road safety problem, altering the habits of drivers in the United Kingdom. We could extrapolate it perfectly. Basically, between October 2024 and early 2025, they combined objective measurements in real conditions with surveys of 1,850 drivers. The results They are devastating: 97% of them affirm that they are frequently distracted, and 96% that glare from headlights is a road safety problem. Analysis. On the one hand, we have those statements from drivers, who were asked about the frequency with which they felt distracted due to glare from the headlights of vehicles traveling in the opposite direction. On the other hand, the objective analysis. To do this, the DfT used luminance cameras and mixed the data using a machine learning algorithm to identify the variables that come into play at high glare levels. They discovered that there was a strong correlation between higher luminance levels and reports of glare in some test vehicles (logical, on the other hand). Also that road factors influence, such as circular upwards or curves to the righttimes when drivers’ eyes are most exposed to the beam of light from the headlights. In the end, these are things that a study does not have to confirm if you have ever driven at night, but what is interesting about the study is the consequences and the “culprits.” Impact. For example, more than half of the respondents have affirmed that this discomfort due to glare has generated anxiety when driving at certain hours, which is why they have reduced night driving or have abandoned it altogether. And more than 20% point out that they would like to take the car less at night because of this, but they have no other option. According to statistics and beyond the indirect impact, they estimate that glare has bound about 290 accidents annually. and the effects They depend on age: a 50-year-old person takes nine seconds to recover from glare, while a 16-year-old takes just one second, which applies another risk factor on the road to older drivers. SUV. Beyond this, they have also found that larger vehicles, such as SUVs, are the most associated with glare in surveys. This is logical: they are taller, their headlights are more aligned with the eyes of drivers traveling in the opposite direction (especially in lower cars) and it seems that all new cars are SUVsso they are the ones with the most up-to-date lights. The problem of retrofit. This term in English refers to the modification of an existing component. In short: updating with new parts and superior technologies, such as changing the brakes for better ones, installing a new infotainment system or change the original halogen headlights for LED ones. You can buy new ‘bulbs’ even on Amazon and many are approved, but there are two problems: those that are not well regulated and those that are installed illegally. The British Administration has identified that illegal conversion is a problem, since changing halogen bulbs for LED means that those housings designed for halogen do not work the same with the new LED headlights, causing dangerous glare. British ITV has intensified its analysis of the sale of these kits, with heavy fines for violators. Not simple solutions. They estimate that around 800,000 vehicles fail their annual inspection due to headlight alignment problems, but although these are UK numbers, this is a global problem (in Spain22% of serious failures have to do with the lights) which implies that, perhaps, we have gone too far with the power of our cars’ headlights. The solution is not clear. The report recommends periodic glare checks and rethinking luminance measurements in modern headlights, but this will have to be studied. In the end, it is something that we all suffer at one time or another although, as they point Our colleagues at MotorPasión, for motorcyclists there is another added problem: reflections on the visor itself. Image | Alexander Jawfox In Xataka | The “made in China” business of the DGT’s V-16 beacons: homologating the same product 24 times and selling it under different brands

The Earth is headed for a new ice age, according to a Science study. And it is precisely because of global warming

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Science is largely in agreement when it suggests that the Earth’s temperature it increases more and moreand logic could lead us to think that the world is going to become in a real desert like the one in Almería. But to everyone’s surprise, what can happen is a great ice agethat is, everything ends up covered in ice. And although it may seem illogical, science wanted to give light about this topic. They have been new models from the University of Bremen and the University of California Riverside, published in Sciencewho have located right there one of the great unexpected dangers of terrestrial geochemistry: under certain conditions, excess heat can activate “biological accelerators” that then cool the planet beyond its original state. Even to reach an ice age. Beyond the rocks. Something that may be unknown to many is that the Earth has a temperature control system like the thermostat in our home. The most accepted was regulation by the slow wear of silicate rocks. However, geological records show episodes in which this natural “thermostat” fails: the Earth freezes from pole to pole, as during the Precambrian glaciations. What is missing from the equation? The new study points to the decisive influence of marine biology and nutrient cycles, especially phosphorus and oxygen. An unexpected loop. When CO₂ emissions and global temperatures rise, the arrival of phosphorus into the oceans also increases, fertilizing the proliferation of algae. These remove CO₂ thanks to photosynthesis in the water, and when they die, they transport that carbon to marine sediments, where it can be trapped for millions of years. As if it were a dumping ground for carbon dioxide on the seabed.. But the key to the loop is oxygen: the explosion of algal productivity consumes the oxygen in the water, meaning that almost no living being can live here. Under these conditions, phosphorus stops being buried and instead of being eliminated it is recycled from the sediment. This fuels new “super blooms” and closes a vicious cycle: ‘More nutrients → more algae → less oxygen → more nutrient recycling → extreme cooling’. The result is that the biological thermostat goes crazy, sequestering carbon at a frenetic pace that the rocks’ slow thermostat cannot compensate for. The new model. The new model integrate these quick feedbacksadding sedimentary chemistry, the phosphorus cycle and the oxygenation state to the traditional silicate weathering models. Surprisingly, when predicting the effect of the “great human experiment” of releasing CO₂, he finds that the system does not always smoothly return to the previous statebut it can overcompensate and take the planet to colder times, in deep glaciations, for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years.​​ This only occurs when the atmosphere is less rich in oxygen, something common in Earth’s past, which may explain why ice ages coincide with intermediate periods of planetary oxygenation. Today, that same loop would make the “reward” much smoother, although there would still be the risk of long-term cooldown. If we continue burning fossils. In this way, other scientific studies already suggest that large inputs of phosphorus, whether due to massive mining or increased weathering induced by climate change, can increase the risk of anoxia and abrupt cooling events, although this scenario would take centuries or millennia to develop. This is why the acceleration of the phosphorus cycle together with the increase in CO₂ concentrations is conditioning us to the climate changes that we will see in a few million years. And although the Earth system may have the mission of stabilizing, the reality is that this system cannot always be trusted. Images | Denise Schuld In Xataka | We have just identified the oldest glaciers in the world. Where: under South Africa’s big gold mines

A study has just correlated them with a higher risk of cancer

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When we plan to lose weight, one of the first things we do is declare war on carbohydrates in the diet, reducing them as much as possible. All of this is conditioned on many occasions by the ‘advice’ that is seen on social networks in blogs, and which may have severe conditions as it was collected. in a published article in Nature Microbiology which suggests that this type of diet may end up increasing the risk of suffering from colorectal cancer. The study. Researchers conditioned by the increase in the number of people who decide to give up carbohydrates Because they relate it to weight gain, he wanted to test what was happening in a series of mice. In this way, an investigation was created with three different diets: a normal diet, one low in carbohydrates and another Western-style diet with a large amount of fat and carbohydrates. The result. After exposing the mice to these conditions, they analyzed their microbiota discovering a particular strain of E. coli bacteria, which was producing a toxin that damaged DNA called colibactin. A toxin that, in combination with a diet low in carbohydrates and soluble fiber, promotes the growth of polyps in the colon, which may be the first step to cancer. As recognized by the researcher himself, Alberto Martín, professor of immunology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto, at first it was thought that colorectal cancer was caused by a combination of different factors like diet or genetics. But now a door is opening that means that a specific diet can lead to our bacteria enhancing the appearance of cancer. Because. Researchers found that a diet deficient in fiber increases inflammation of the intestine and alters the microbial community that reside here, that offer us many benefits and about which we are beginning to know more and more. Specifically, they focused on E. Coli that produces colibactin as we have discussed before, but what is really important here is that the mice fed a low-carbohydrate diet had a thinner layer of mucus that separates the intestinal microbes from the epithelial cells of the colon. A priori, this mucus barrier that we have in the digestive system acts as a layer of protection that allows bacteria not to come into direct contact with epithelial cells. But if this shield is thinner due to this poor diet, more colibactin can reach the colon cells directly and act as an epigenetic mechanism that alters their structure and drives the deregulation of the factors that control their cell cycle. But the researchers wanted to go a little further, by analyzing the effects on mice that had genetic mutations in their cells in the pathway responsible for repair damage that occurs in DNA. In this case the effect was very clear: the repair of these damages was not favored. This means that all the failures that are generated daily in our cells are not repaired or that the cell simply cannot enter apoptosis (programmed cell death) through these pathways. Something that adds ‘papers’ to have a cancer cell that gets out of control. Lynch syndrome. A genetic health problem which makes the patient have a greater chance of suffering from certain types of cancer, including colorectal cancer. All this due to mutations in genes that repair DNA, such as MLH1 and MSH2, among others. In this way, if a carbohydrate-deficient diet is added to these people who already have a higher probability of suffering from colon cancer, the effect of colibactin will increase these probabilities. That is why the findings made by researchers suggest that people with Lynch syndrome who harbor these colibactin-producing bacteria should avoid stopping carbohydrates so as not to increase the risk. They even suggest that they can take specific antibiotics for these colibactin-producing bacteria to further reduce the risk. Probiotics. With taking antibiotics, I’m sure that on more than one occasion you have been recommended to take probiotics in order to maintain the intestinal microbiota before the treatment. In this case, research suggests that a strain of E. coli called Nissle that produces colibactin is found in these probiotics, which makes us ask many questions about its effect on cancer. In this way, his laboratory is investigating whether long-term use of this probiotic is safe for people with Lynch syndrome or for those who follow a low-carbohydrate diet. The antidote. Given all this, the question is obligatory: how can I avoid this if I have to consume few carbohydrates? To this end, the study has been able to see a correlation between the increase in soluble fiber in the diet with a decrease in the levels of colibactin-producing E. Coli. This is something that translates into less interaction with DNA repair mechanisms and therefore a lower probability of suffering from cancer. “We supplemented fiber and saw that it reduced the effects of the low-carbohydrate diet (…) Now we are trying to find out which sources of fiber are most beneficial,” says Bhupesh Thakur, postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study. A treatment. The goal right now is to try to counteract the increased risk of cancer due to this bacterial toxin. To this end, the use of inulin is being investigated, which has been seen to reduce the amount of E. coli, which produces colibactin, and improves intestinal health in high-risk people. A treatment that, as it could not be otherwise, is focused on the fiber itself, which will become the best ally in these situations. Images | engin akyurt National Cancer Institute In Xataka | Intermittent fasting is the fad diet. At least among scientists who study its effects on the microbiome

Thousands of people have been drinking apple vinegar for years before eating to lose weight. The fault has an erroneous study

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A couple of months ago, the last viral trend of social networks was taken on an empty stomach in the morning recently raised: the “morning sucks.” There were all kinds: apple vinegar, of grass Or even A tablespoon coconut oil. Everyone promises the same: flat bellies, express detox and accelerated metabolism. Under the appearance of natural remedy, the illusion of a quick solution was really sold. In particular, apple vinegar stands out as the biggest protagonist, since a study endorsed it, but it was a misinterpretation. The origin of the myth. We have always heard that phrase of “speaking people understand”, although quite simplistic it is that misunderstandings are the order of the day and in science they are usually given. To get to the origin of that study, the tracking takes you to a study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. This research became popular to ensure that apple vinegar helped lose weight. However, According to Sciencedailythat study has been retracted after detecting inconsistencies in data and serious errors in statistical analysis. In science, a retraction is an exceptional mechanism: it means recognizing that the results are not reliable and, therefore, that the study should no longer be cited as evidence. It is a guarantee of self -correction, but it is late when the finding has already traveled media and viral videos. The viralization of myth. The networks did the rest. Under hashtags like #guthealth or #morningritual, vinegar It settled In morning routines with other “shots” that promise express benefits: ginger, turmeric, teas detox. As we detail in Xatakathis phenomenon is understood in the framework of the culture of immediacy: we live at a time when rapid and visible results are sought. A morning drink fits perfectly with that promise of instant change. The problem is that neither vinegar nor any of these mixtures fulfill what they promise. And in some cases They can have adverse effects: Excessive consumption of fasting vinegar can irritate the stomach and esophagus, damage tooth enamel and cause digestive discomfort. More studies. Beyond the retracting study, there are research that has analyzed the effect of vinegar on metabolic health, although scientific evidence remains low. A systematic review, Posted in Pubmed Central in 2021evaluated clinical trials on this product. According to this work, vinegar can have modest effects on the reduction of blood glucose and total cholesterol. But the same review warns: there is no solid evidence that it causes clinically relevant weight losses. In other words: vinegar is not a burning, much less a magical solution to lose weight. The mirage of detox. The rise of these “morning shots” also relies on the language of the detox. However, experts Remember that Detoxification does not work like this: the body already has organs such as the liver and the kidneys that fulfill that function continuously. Chupitos do not “clean” the organism, but they do perpetuate the idea that there are miraculous shortcuts to compensate for excesses. An even greater paradigm. The history of apple vinegar is, in the background, a lesson on how health myths are built in the digital age. A study with methodological errors, amplified on social networks, became a global ritual. And although today we know that there was no evidence behind, the practice was already installed in millions of morning routines. The lesson is clear: easy solutions are rarely, and health is not built with shortcuts. Image | Freepik and Pexels Xataka | There are people taking a “sucking” apple vinegar in the morning. Science has an opinion about it

We had been believing that dark matter existed. A new study believes that we were wrong

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For decades, cosmology has been sustained on a pillar as fundamental as mysterious: The dark matter. The invisible glue that, according to the standard model, keeps galaxies together and prevents the stars from being fired by centrifugal force.Represents 27% of the universebut it has a problem: nobody has seen or detected it. It only trusts that it will be there. But now A published study in Galaxies This conception of the concept has changed. The study. Research led by the physicist Rajendra P. Gupta From the University of Ottawa proposes an idea as elegant as radical: what if dark matter does not really exist? According to his work, this ghost component could actually be an ‘illusion’, a side effect caused by something we were assumed: that the fundamental constants of nature are ‘constant’. The importance. To understand the magnitude of this proposal you must first remember the origin of the problem. Specifically, we have to go to the 70s, where astronomer Vera Rubin noticed that the stars at the edges of the galaxies revolved at the same speed those of the center. This completely challenged Newton’s laws, something that is as if a person sitting on the outer edge spinning at the same speed as a sitting near the axis. Physically, it should be triggered. The solution that the scientific community adopted was the existence of a “dark matter”, an invisible mass that generates the extra gravity necessary to maintain cohesive galaxy. This concept became the cornerstone of the cosmological model known as ΛCDM (Lamda-Cold Dark Matter). This model works incredibly well to explain the large -scale universe, but after searches with ultrasensitive detectors and experiments in the LHC We have not found a single particle of dark matter. It has always ‘detected’ indirectly through its gravitational effect on visible objects. The proposal. This is where Gupta’s idea enters. Its model, called CCC + TL (Covarying Couplening Constants + Tirad Light), is based on two different ideas. The first one is the so -called ‘Covriant coupling constants’ (CCC). In this case, the model suggests that the fundamental constants of physics, such as the speed of light (c) or the universal gravitation constant (G), are not fixed. Instead, they evolve and change as the universe expands. This is not a completely new idea (the physicist Paul Dirac already flirted with her), but Gupta integrates it into a complete cosmological model. The second idea raised in the investigation is that of ‘tired light’. A concept that arrives directly from the old hypothesis of ‘tired light’, which postulates that light loses energy throughout its trip through the cosmos. In this case, the Gupta model suggests that the redness of the light of the distant galaxies is not only due to the expansion of the universe but to a combination of both effects. Although the “tired light” as the only explanation, has been widely refuted, its inclusion in this hybrid model is key to its calculations. New terms. Once these two new ideas are taken into account, it is time to modify Einstein’s field equations with these variable constants, the GUPTA model makes new mathematical terms appear. This is something that the author has baptized as “α-material” and “α-energy.” And this is where it is true magic: these terms, which are not a physical substance but an effect of the evolution of the laws of physics, generate the extra gravitational attraction that until now we attributed to dark matter. Dark matter would not be something to find, but a mathematical mirage. It is tested. Something to keep in mind is that theories can be very well written and look very good on paper, but logically they have to demonstrate. For this, Gupta used the SPARC database, a high quality catalog with the rotation curves of 175 galaxies. The method used was the reverse to the traditional. Instead of adding dark matter to justify rotation curves, Gupta took the curves observed and used its model to “subtract” the effect of “α-material”. The result should be the rotation curve generated only by visible (barionic) matter. Something that has wanted to materialize in a graphic taking as an example the NGC3198 galaxy. In this image, the blue line (VO) is the rotation speed observed in the galaxy. The points line (VB) is the speed that should have if only the visible matter existed, according to the estimates of SPARC and the discontinuous line (VBX) is the prediction of visible matter calculated by the GUPTA model. The similarity between the prediction of its model and the estimation of barionic matter is remarkable. Something that the author repeated for several galaxies with promising results to give a very forceful conclusion. A new paradigm. If the CCC+TL model is correct, its implications are huge. Not only would it eliminate the need for dark matter, but, according to the author, it could also explain dark energy and other cosmological enigmas, such as why the first galaxies Observed by James Webb They seem more mature than they should. You have to be cautious. This is, for now, a “proof of concept” as the author himself points out. This means that it is using simplifications, such as treating galaxies as perfect spheres, something that is far from reality in the universe. In addition, its dependence on “tired light” is a friction point with conventional cosmology. Models such as this should demonstrate that they can explain with the same precision as λCDM Key observations such as microwave background radiation or the accelerated expansion of the universe. A new advance. But what is clear with this research is that the scientific community is exploring alternatives, especially when the predominant model presents fissures, such as the absence of a direct proof of dark matter. The Gupta model is, for now, a fascinating possibility. A reminder that in science, the most entrenched truths can be questioned and that the solution to the greatest mysteries of the universe might not be to find something new, but in … Read more

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