Gently does it

learn that researchers from the University of Cambridge found that as little as 11 minutes of daily activity is enough to prevent one in 10 premature deaths.

Doing some exercise is better than doing nothing, the researchers from the University of Cambridge said, whether it involved riding a bicycle, walking briskly, playing tennis or hiking.

There is a danger that the electrical current in smartwatches, smart rings and smart scales which monitor fitness­related activities could affect pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators, investigators found.

Dr Benjamin Sanchez

Terrones from the University of Utah said the results did not convey immediate or clear risks to patients wearing the trackers. However, the different levels of electrical current they emitted could result in pacing interruptions or unnecessary shocks to the heart. Further research was needed to determine the actual level of risk, Dr Sanchez added.

Cause or effect

DIETARY experts questioned a Brazilian study which claimed that ultraprocessed foods caused depression.

After analysing students’ eating habits and mental health, researchers blamed chocolate, crisps, biscuits, ice cream, cakes and ready meals for depression rates that were approximately 80 per cent higher in those who ate highly­processed foods.

After reviewing their findings, dietitians and nutritionists in the UK pointed out that there was no proof that this was a oneway process. It was also likely, they maintained, that the participants had turned to ultra­processed comfort food because they were depressed.