La Ni ña Weather Phenomenon Could Endanger Colombia ’ s Food Security
Family in a flooded village on the banks of the Atrato River in Chocó, Colombia. Credit: Jesús Abad Colorado/IPSBy Carmen ArroyoNEW YORK, Dec 8 2020 (IPS) After ten years without a strong La Niña weather phenomenon in Colombia, the climate pattern, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, could create a vacuum in food production and supply. Multilateral organizations, along with the Colombian government, are trying to implement measures to reduce malnutrition risk. Still, the population is already overwhelmed by a year of struggles that have deepened socio-economic differences.
Starting in March this year with the COVID-19 ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - December 8, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Carmen Arroyo Tags: Climate Change Economy & Trade Environment Featured Food Security and Nutrition Food Sustainability Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Inequity Labour Latin America & the Caribbean Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news
Cocoa Might Give Your Brain a Boost: Study
MONDAY, Nov. 30, 2020 -- Could the main ingredient found in chocolate super-charge your brain, help young, healthy adults think better, faster and more efficiently? Just maybe, according to a small new study out of Britain.
The finding is based on... (Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews)
Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews - November 30, 2020 Category: General Medicine Source Type: news
Flavanol-rich cocoa drinks can improve brain function, study finds
Flavanol-rich cocoa drinks can improve brain oxygenation and cognitive performance in healthy adults, a new study finds. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)
Source: Health News - UPI.com - November 24, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Cocoa flavanols boost brain oxygenation, cognition in healthy adults
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau) The brains of healthy adults recovered faster from a mild vascular challenge and performed better on complex tests if the participants consumed cocoa flavanols beforehand, researchers report in the journalScientific Reports. In the study, 14 of 18 participants saw these improvements after ingesting the flavanols. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - November 24, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Can drinking cocoa make you smarter?
(University of Birmingham) Increased consumption of flavanols - a group of molecules which occur naturally in fruit and vegetables - can increase your mental agility, according to new research at the University of Birmingham. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - November 24, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
When Are Frosty & Rudolph On TV? See The CBS Holiday Special Schedule
BOSTON (CBS) — The holiday season is here – and it’s the perfect time to cozy up with a mug of hot cocoa and watch some of your favorite Christmas classics. CBS has released its schedule of holiday specials for the 2020 season – including “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty The Snowman.”
Take a look at the full schedule set to air on WBZ-TV below. Many will also be available to watch on CBS All Access.
Friday, November 27, 2020
Frosty The Snowman
8 p.m.
Frosty Returns
8:30 p.m.
*****
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Robbie The Reindeer: Hooves Of Fire
8 p.m.
Robbie The Reindeer: Legend ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - November 23, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: CBS Boston Tags: Boston News Only CBS Syndicated Local Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Source Type: news
Compounds found in cocoa may reduce your risk of heart attack and dementia
HOW TO live longer: There are many threats to longevity and they do not usually exist in isolation. The same is true for the solutions. Consuming cocoa may offer protective benefits for both the heart and brain. (Source: Daily Express - Health)
Source: Daily Express - Health - November 20, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Diets rich in tea, berries and apples could lower blood pressure – study
Effect of greater flavan-3-ol intake is bigger in people with hypertension, research findsDiets rich in tea, berries and apples could lower blood pressure, according to the first study using objective measures of thousands of UK residents ’ eating habits.Foods and drinks such as tea, apples, grapes, red wine, and cocoa contain flavan-3-ols, which are naturally occurring compounds found in plants known to be associated with lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 21, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Natalie Grover Tags: Medical research Health Science Society Source Type: news
High social and ecological standards for chocolate
(University of G ö ttingen) Worldwide demand for food from the tropics that meets higher environmental and social standards has risen sharply in recent years. Consumers often have to make ethically questionable decisions: products may be available through child labour, starvation wages or environmental destruction. Building on an interdisciplinary project in Peru, an international research team including G ö ttingen Univeristy published an overview on the transition to responsible, high-quality cocoa production. This 'Perspective' article appeared in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. (Source: EurekAlert! - Soc...
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - October 19, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Hand pollination, not agrochemicals, increases cocoa yield and farmer income
(University of G ö ttingen) Agroecologists from G ö ttingen University compare pesticides, fertilisers, manual pollination and farming costs in Indonesia (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - September 30, 2020 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Talc and petroleum jelly among the best lubricants for people wearing PPE
(Imperial College London) Talcum powder, a coconut oil-cocoa butter beeswax mixture, and petroleum jelly provide the best skin protection for long-term PPE use, say scientists. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - September 24, 2020 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Put down that cup of earl gray tea!
(The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Cancer mutations are not necessarily bad actors, in and of themselves. In fact, in certain micro-environments like the gut, these mutations can actually help the body to fight cancer, not spread it. However, if the gut microbiome produces high levels of metabolites, like those found in certain bacteria and antioxidant rich foods like black tea and hot cocoa, then it acts as a particularly hospitable environment to mutated genes and will accelerate the growth of bowel cancers. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - July 29, 2020 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Ghana: Bost, COCOBOD Close Offices to Protect Workers Against COVID-19
[Ghanaian Times] The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) have announced the closure of their head offices in Accra, to ensure the safety of their staff against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - July 9, 2020 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Coffee, cocoa and vanilla: an opportunity for more trees in tropical agricultural landscapes
(University of G ö ttingen) The cultivation of coffee, cocoa and vanilla secures the income of many small-holder farmers and also drives land-use change. In particular, cultivation in agroforestry, in which these crops are combined with trees that provide shade, is considered to have great potential for ecologically sustainable cultivation. Researchers at the University of G ö ttingen now show that the land-use history of agroforestry systems plays a crucial role in assessing the sustainability of agroforestry. Results appeared in Conservation Letters. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - June 15, 2020 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Study links malaria risk in deforestation hotspots to demand for agricultural commodities
(Funda ç ã o de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de S ã o Paulo) The international trade in timber, tobacco, cocoa, coffee and cotton accounts for a high proportion of malaria risk in exporter countries, according to a collaborative study by scientists in Brazil and Australia published in Nature Communications. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - June 4, 2020 Category: Biology Source Type: news
