Sitting for long hours is part of the daily routine for many, especially with office work and using computers. But staying in the same position for a long period of time may leave visible effects on the back, especially the lower area.
According to the Healthline website, prolonged sitting, especially in an incorrect posture, can exacerbate lower back pain, as bending forward or sitting slouched leads to increased stress on parts of the spine and the discs between the vertebrae.
Why does sitting cause pain?
Back pain increases when sitting for a long time due to strain on the back muscles and constant pressure on the vertebrae of the spine, especially with the wrong sitting position. Lack of movement for extended periods may also contribute to muscle stiffness and weakness in the muscles responsible for supporting the spine.
The problem increases when the back is curved or when the screen or chair is at an inappropriate height, which forces the body to assume unnatural positions for long periods. People who already suffer from problems such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis may be more susceptible to worsening pain while sitting.
How to reduce damage?
To reduce back pain, it is recommended to keep the back straight and well supported while sitting, and a small pillow or support for the lumbar region (lower back) can be used. The height of the chair and screen should also be adjusted to help maintain a comfortable position, keeping the feet on the ground and avoiding constant bending forward.
It is also important to break long periods of sitting, as it is recommended to take a break to move or walk and stretch every 30 to 60 minutes, instead of staying in the same position for hours on end. Physical activity and strengthening the abdominal and back muscles also helps improve spinal support.
A doctor should be consulted if the pain is severe or persistent, or is accompanied by numbness or weakness in the legs.
Retatrutide, which has been described as the “Godzilla” or giant of weight-loss drugs, may help improve blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, and reduce body weight by a quarter, according to the largest study of its kind.
This drug works by mimicking three main intestinal hormones that contribute to regulating appetite, blood sugar levels, and metabolism: GLP1, GLP, and glucagon. Unlike other medications, such as “Wegovi,” which primarily targets the GLP1 pathway to suppress appetite, or “Monjaro,” which combines “GLP1” and “GLP” to control sugar levels, “Retaretide” also interacts with glucagon receptors, which helps increase the rate of energy burning, according to a report by the British newspaper “The Guardian.”
The drug has not yet received the approval of any regulatory body, but the results of the global trial that included people suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes indicate its ability to help them get rid of large amounts of excess weight, in addition to providing other important health benefits.
The researchers said that the drug “retatrotide” showed a significant decrease in body weight, in addition to an improvement in the control of blood sugar levels and cardiac risk factors.
The results of the study, which was funded by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of retaretide, were published in the medical journal The Lancet and presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan, Italy.
This clinical trial included a total of 2,047 adults from eight countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, Romania, Spain, and the United States.
Participants had type 2 diabetes and had a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or more. Women constituted 48 percent of the participants, while men constituted 52 percent, and their average age was 55 years.
In this 80-week trial (a phase III trial), participants were randomly assigned to receive a weekly injection of either a placebo (289 participants) or retaretide at doses of 4 mg (292 participants), 9 mg (284 participants), or 12 mg (287 participants), in conjunction with receiving nutritional counseling and guidance on physical activity.
By the end of the study, participants who received the 4 mg dose of Retaretide lost an average of 11.9 percent of their body weight, and this percentage increased to 16.8 percent with the 9 mg dose, and to 18.8 percent with the 12 mg dose. While the group that received the placebo lost 5.1 percent of its weight.
Among those who received the 12 mg dose, nearly half (47 percent) lost at least 20 percent of their starting weight, while nearly a third (31 percent) lost at least 25 percent; This compares to 6 percent and 3 percent, respectively, in the placebo group.
In addition, 72 percent of participants achieved a level of 6.5 percent or lower on the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test, which is a measure of average blood sugar levels over the past two or three months and is considered a standard threshold for diagnosing type 2 diabetes, compared with 29 percent in the placebo group.
According to the researchers, retatrotide also significantly improved cardiometabolic risk factors, including blood pressure and blood fat levels, and reduced levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a biomarker of inflammation.
The trial witnessed seven deaths: two cases in the 4 mg dose group of “retatrotide”, three cases in the 9 mg dose group, one case in the 12 mg dose group, and one case in the placebo group. The responsible researcher considered that these deaths were not related to the therapeutic intervention under study.
Meanwhile, separate research - presented at a conference in Milan and published in the Lancet journal Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health - showed that weight-loss medications are not, in most cases, associated with negative pregnancy outcomes in women with type 2 diabetes.
However, the researchers stressed the urgent need to conduct more research to fill the large gaps in scientific evidence, and to keep pace with the huge and rapid increase in the number of women of reproductive age who use these medications.
Apples are one of the fruits that can be included in a balanced diet, including for people who are interested in maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Although it contains natural sugars, it also provides fiber, water, and a group of plant elements and compounds that affect the way carbohydrates are digested and absorbed.
As for cinnamon, its consumption has been linked in some studies to possible effects on blood sugar levels, but these effects do not mean that adding a small amount of it to food can prevent high blood sugar resulting from eating carbohydrates.
So what exactly happens when you add cinnamon to apples? Can a simple sprinkle of cinnamon change the effect of apples on blood sugar levels? According to what was reported by the “Very Well Health” website, apples contain natural sugars that may raise blood sugar levels, but the fiber in them helps slow the arrival of sugar into the bloodstream. On the other hand, cinnamon may have a slight effect on sugar levels, but the amount usually added to apples does not often make a significant difference in blood sugar levels.
What happens when you combine apples and cinnamon?
Researchers have studied the effects of apples and cinnamon separately, but no studies have been published that directly test the effects of eating them together. Therefore, based on the information available about the effect of each, the following can be expected when combining apples and cinnamon:
Apples alone have a moderating effect on blood sugar levels: The fiber, water, and other nutrients in apples slow the digestion and absorption of glucose, leading to a gradual rise in blood sugar, rather than a rapid rise.
A pinch of cinnamon may have a minimal effect on your blood sugar: Some studies have shown potential benefits of cinnamon for blood sugar, but these studies typically used several grams of cinnamon, an amount far exceeding the amount most people would normally put on a single apple.
The potential benefit of cinnamon may depend on the amount and frequency of consumption: some studies have found an improvement in blood sugar control in people who consumed cinnamon daily over several weeks. This suggests that the potential effect, if any, may be related to the dose and duration of use and not simply adding a small amount to one meal.
Cinnamon is still a good way to flavor apples: it doesn't add sugar to the meal, so it can be used as a substitute for sugary additives typically used with apples, such as caramel, brown sugar, or honey.
Apples gradually raise blood sugar
Apples have a low glycemic index (GI), a measure used to determine how quickly foods affect your blood sugar level, on a scale between 0 and 100. The glycemic index value of apples ranges between 36 and 44, depending on the size, type, and degree of ripeness of the apple, which makes it a low glycemic index food.
A medium-sized apple contains about 28 grams of carbohydrates, including 19 grams of natural sugar and 4 grams of fiber. Although carbohydrates and sugars usually raise blood sugar levels, the fiber in whole apples helps slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, allowing glucose to enter the bloodstream more gradually.
The important components of apples are not limited to fiber; It also contains plant compounds known as “polyphenols,” including quercetin and phlorezin. Some research indicates that these compounds may help slow the rate of absorption of glucose in the intestine.
Small studies using concentrated polyphenols extracted from apples have also shown that they may be able to reduce or delay the initial rise in blood sugar after eating a carbohydrate-rich meal.
It is also beneficial to keep the peel of an apple when eating it, as this can help in obtaining greater amounts of fiber and polyphenols, given that the peel of the fruit contains higher concentrations of these nutrients compared to the apple core alone.
Can cinnamon help reduce sugar spikes after eating?
Adding cinnamon to apples does not prevent the carbohydrates in the fruit from raising blood sugar levels. However, some research suggests that cinnamon may help slightly reduce post-prandial blood sugar spikes.
In a small study, 14 healthy adults ate rice pudding, either with or without 6 grams of cinnamon. The results showed that adding cinnamon slowed down the gastric emptying process, that is, the speed at which food moves from the stomach to the small intestine, and also contributed to reducing the rise in blood sugar levels after eating a meal.
A laboratory study conducted in 2024 indicates another possible explanation for the effect of cinnamon in controlling blood sugar levels. The researchers mixed cinnamon with rice pudding during a digestion test, and noticed that the breakdown of starches was slower. This may indicate that cinnamon can interact with digestive enzymes, which may help the body deal with carbohydrates more gradually.
Does cinnamon affect blood sugar levels throughout the day?
The potential effect of cinnamon on sugar levels may not be limited to after meals, as another study conducted in 2024 suggests that it may have an effect on sugar levels throughout the day.
In this study, 18 adults suffering from obesity and prediabetes took 4 grams of cinnamon or a placebo daily for 4 weeks. It was noted that participants who consumed cinnamon recorded lower blood sugar levels throughout the day, along with a reduction in the severity of high glucose levels.
However, these results do not necessarily mean that the small amount of cinnamon typically added to apple slices will have the same effect.
The amount of cinnamon may be an important factor in its effect
It's important to note that studies that looked at the effect of cinnamon on blood sugar levels used amounts of cinnamon far greater than the amount most people would normally sprinkle on apple slices.
Studies also used different doses and forms of cinnamon, which led to discrepancies in their results. Therefore, it is still unclear whether the small amounts of cinnamon typically used in food are able to make a measurable difference in blood sugar levels.
