Sitting all day is bad for you – here's one way to combat it

+ fence lizards seem to be adapting to invasive fire ants US Edition - Today's top story: Sitting all day is terrible for your health – now, a new study finds a relatively easy way to counteract it [View in browser]( US Edition | 18 January 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( The first bit of advice my physical therapist gave me last week during a visit to address some aches and pains was to get up from my desk every half-hour. It turns out her prescription is backed up by research. In one of our most popular stories over the past week, professor of behavioral medicine Keith Diaz describes results of a new study that found that [taking a five-minute walk every half-hour counteracts the harmful effects of sitting all day]( – which, as many of us know, are numerous. “People who sit for hours on end develop chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, dementia and several types of cancer at much higher rates than people who move throughout their day,” Diaz writes. At the start of every year, our editors publish articles that take on beginning-of-year themes, such as New Year’s resolutions to adopt healthy practices. That led to this article on the [long list of benefits from meditation]( by Wayne State University neuroscientist Hilary Marusak. She walks us through some highlights of the many scientific studies on meditation and notes that there are some 600 clinical trials currently recruiting participants for various conditions, such as pain, cancer and depression. If actually taking up a meditation practice sounds daunting, she has some tips to get started, along with some encouraging news: Even five minutes a day can have positive health effects. The pandemic introduced hundreds of millions of people to mRNA vaccines, but this technology can be applied to many health conditions. University at Buffalo biochemist and molecular biologist Mark O’Brian explains the results of a recent clinical trial that found that melanoma patients who took both an mRNA vaccine to fight against tumors and another cancer drug saw positive results compared with people who took only the cancer drug. He writes about how the [vaccine functioned in this test]( and notes how this one experimental immunotherapy, which is customized to each individual, is a sign of the potential for personalized medicine now taking shape. Also in this week’s science news: - [A way to forecast floods by street]( - [The potential of stem cell treatments for cancer]( - [How promising Alzheimer’s treatment lecanemab works]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin La Monica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters Researchers have long known that sitting at your desk hour after hour is an unhealthy habit. Morsa Images/Digital Vision via Getty Images [Sitting all day is terrible for your health – now, a new study finds a relatively easy way to counteract it]( Keith Diaz, Columbia University Short, frequent walks throughout the day are key to helping prevent the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle. People of any age or walk of life can access and benefit from meditation. Daniel de la Hoz/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Meditation and mindfulness offer an abundance of health benefits and may be as effective as medication for treating certain conditions]( Hilary A. Marusak, Wayne State University Mindfulness, one of the most common forms of meditation, is a skill that must be cultivated and practiced. With some training and discipline, it can help anyone live more fully in the moment. Moderna is testing an mRNA vaccine in combination with pembrolizumab to treat melanoma. Javier Zayas Photography/Moment via Getty Images [Moderna’s experimental cancer vaccine treats but doesn’t prevent melanoma – a biochemist explains how it works]( Mark R. O'Brian, University at Buffalo Preventive and therapeutic vaccines both train the immune system to fight disease, but they are used in different ways. [Native eastern fence lizards changed their bodies and behavior in response to invasive red imported fire ants]( Catherine Tylan, Penn State; Tracy Langkilde, Penn State The ways eastern fence lizards have changed in response to red imported fire ants demonstrate how species can adapt to survive the presence of invasive predators. [NASA’s busiest year in decades – an astronomer sums up the dizzying array of missions in 2022]( Chris Impey, University of Arizona NASA has been gaining momentum in recent years as investment into space has ramped up in the US. In 2022, missions dealt with the farthest, closest, hottest and coldest conditions in the universe. [Kicking off the new year by cleansing your body with a detox diet? A dietitian unpacks the science behind these fads]( Taylor Grasso, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Detox diets and cleanses supposedly clear the body of allegedly toxic substances. But the evidence suggests otherwise. [Deep seabed mining plans pit renewable energy demand against ocean life in a largely unexplored frontier]( Scott Shackelford, Indiana University; Christiana Ochoa, Indiana University; David Bosco, Indiana University; Kerry Krutilla, Indiana University Mining nodules from the deep ocean seabed could provide the metals crucial for today’s EV batteries and renewable energy technology, but little is known about the harm it could cause. [Lobsters versus right whales: The latest chapter in a long quest to make fishing more sustainable]( Blake Earle, Texas A&M University To fish the oceans sustainably, nations must reduce bycatch, or accidental catches. But fishermen often resist changing gear or techniques that kill nontargeted species. [Vaccination to prevent dementia? New research suggests one way viral infections can accelerate neurodegeneration]( Andrew Bubak, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Diego Restrepo, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Maria Nagel, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Inflammation and damage to the olfactory system from shingles, COVID-19 and herpes infections may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. [Stopping the cancer cells that thrive on chemotherapy – research into how pancreatic tumors adapt to stress could lead to a new treatment approach]( Chengsheng Wu, University of California, San Diego; David Cheresh, University of California, San Diego; Sara Weis, University of California, San Diego Some cancers are notoriously resistant to chemotherapy and not curable with surgery. Stopping tumors from adapting to the harsh microenvironments of the body could be a potential treatment avenue. [Flood forecasts in real-time with block-by-block data could save lives – a new machine learning method makes it possible]( Valeriy Ivanov, University of Michigan The majority of flood-related deaths involve vehicles in water. What if flood models could warn of the risks street by street using real-time storm forecasts? - [What the FDA’s accelerated approval of a new Alzheimer’s drug could mean for those with the disease – 5 questions answered about lecanemab]( James E. Galvin, University of Miami In clinical trials, lecanemab slowed disease progression by 27% and reduced the amount of plaque found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. - [Climate change trauma has real impacts on cognition and the brain, wildfire survivors study shows]( Jyoti Mishra, University of California, San Diego A new neuropsychology study on California wildfire survivors found chronic cognitive problems in addition to anxiety and PTSD. - [Triggering cancer cells to become normal cells – how stem cell therapies can provide new ways to stop tumors from spreading or growing back]( Huanhuan Joyce Chen, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Abhimanyu Thakur, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Many tumors have cancer stem cells that help them grow and evade treatments. Differentiation therapy forces these cells to mature, stopping growth with less toxicity than traditional treatments. - [Parents in the US had alarmingly high rates of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic – and that has a direct effect on kids]( Lucy (Kathleen) McGoron, Wayne State University One way to prevent mental health challenges in children: Recognize and treat the mental health issues of their parents. - Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly emails: [Politics Weekly]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Global Economy & Business]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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