Infographic: From Bean to Brew – The Coffee Supply Chain

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Source: Visual Capitalist

Egg and Watercress Mayonnaise (Oeufs au Cresson)

Ingredients

4-5 eggs (hard-boiled)
1 oz butter
1/2 cup thick mayonnaise
salt and pepper
2 bunches of watercress
squeeze of lemon
pinch of cayenne pepper, or 2-3 drops of Tabasco sauce
1-2 tablespoons French dressing
extra watercress (to garnish)

Method

1. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise, remove the yolks and rub them through a wire strainer.
2. Soften the butter, work in the egg yolks and about 1 teaspoon of thick mayonnaise, season well.
3. Cover the yolk mixture and keep the egg whites in a bowl of cold water.
4. Boil 1 bunch of watercress for 5 minutes, then drain it well and sieve. Add watercress puree to the mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon and cayenne (or Tabasco sauce).
5. Chop the second bunch of watercress coarsely and mix with the French dressing and place in the serving dish.
6. Dry the egg whites, fill with creamed yolk mixture and reshape eggs. Arrange them on the chopped watercress and coat with the mayonnaise.
7. Garnish with slices of lemon and a spray of watercress. Serve with brown bread and butter.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Cooking with Eggs

In Pictures: Egg Dishes Around the World

Oeufs en cocotte, France

Kwek kwek, Philippines

Migas, Mexico

Egg foo yung, China

Çilbir, Turkey

Chawanmushi, Japan

Study: Yoga Shown to Improve Anxiety

Yoga improves symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, a condition with chronic nervousness and worry, suggesting the popular practice may be helpful in treating anxiety in some people.

Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, a new study found that yoga was significantly more effective for generalized anxiety disorder than standard education on stress management, but not as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the gold standard form of structured talk therapy that helps patients identify negative thinking for better responses to challenges.

“Generalized anxiety disorder is a very common condition, yet many are not willing or able to access evidence-based treatments,” says lead study author Naomi M. Simon, MD, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health. “Our findings demonstrate that yoga, which is safe and widely available, can improve symptoms for some people with this disorder and could be a valuable tool in an overall treatment plan.”

For the study, 226 men and women with generalized anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to 3 groups—CBT, Kundalini yoga, or stress management education, a standardized control technique.

After three months, both CBT and yoga were found to be significantly more effective for anxiety than stress management. Specifically, 54 percent of those who practiced yoga met response criteria for meaningfully improved symptoms compared with 33 percent in the stress education group. Of those treated with CBT, 71 percent met these symptom improvement criteria.

However, after six months of follow-up, the CBT response remained significantly better than stress education (the control therapy), while yoga was no longer significantly better, suggesting CBT may have more robust, longer-lasting anxiety-reducing effects. The results were published online August 12 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Study Details

The study involved an evidence-based protocol for CBT treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, including psychoeducation, cognitive interventions (focused on identifying and adapting maladaptive thoughts and worrying), and muscle relaxation techniques.

Kundalini yoga included physical postures, breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, yoga theory, and meditation and mindfulness practice.

The stress management education control group received lectures about the physiological, psychological, and medical effects of stress, as well as the antianxiety effects of lifestyle behaviors, such as reducing alcohol and smoking, and the importance of exercise and a healthy diet. Homework consisted of listening to educational material about stress, nutrition, and lifestyle.

Each treatment was administered in groups of 3 to 6 participants, over weekly 2-hour sessions for 12 weeks with 20 minutes of daily homework assigned.

Can Yoga Help Treat Anxiety?

According to researchers, generalized anxiety disorder is a common, impairing, and undertreated condition, currently affecting an estimated 6.8 million Americans. While most people feel anxious from time to time, it is considered a disorder when worrying becomes excessive and interferes with day-to-day life. CBT is considered the gold standard first-line treatment. Medications, including antidepressants and sometimes benzodiazepines, may also be used. Yet, not everyone is willing to take medication, which can have adverse side effects, and there are challenges with accessing CBT for many, including lack of access to trained therapists and long waitlists.

“Many people already seek complementary and alternative interventions, including yoga, to treat anxiety,” says Dr. Simon. “This study suggests that at least short-term there is significant value for people with generalized anxiety disorder to give yoga a try to see if it works for them. Yoga is well-tolerated, easily accessible, and has a number of health benefits.”

According to Dr. Simon, future research should aim to understand who is most likely to benefit from yoga for generalized anxiety disorder to help providers better personalize treatment recommendations.

“We need more options to treat anxiety because different people will respond to different interventions, and having more options can help overcome barriers to care,” she says. “Having a range of effective treatments can increase the likelihood people with anxiety will be willing to engage in evidence-based care.”

Source: NYU Langone Hospitals

Daily Low-Dose Aspirin May Hasten Cancer in Seniors

Dennis Thompson wrote . . . . . . . . .

Taking a daily low-dose aspirin may speed the progression of cancer in the elderly, a new clinical trial shows.

Daily aspirin doubled the risk that a person 70 or older would die from a stage 3 cancer, and increased the death risk associated with stage 4 cancers by nearly a third, according to data from more than 19,000 older people in the United States and Australia.

Older patients taking daily aspirin also had a roughly 20% increased risk of their cancer spreading to other parts of their body either before or after diagnosis, the researchers found.

Compelling evidence from earlier clinical trials had shown that daily aspirin taken by middle-aged folks could reduce the risk of cancer, particularly colon cancer, researchers said in background notes.

But in this new trial, the investigators found that elderly people who presented with later-stage cancers “tended to do worse if they were on aspirin,” said senior researcher Dr. Andrew Chan, director of epidemiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, in Boston. “It does suggest there is a potential difference in the effect of aspirin on older adults compared with younger adults.”

Based on these new findings, older people should have a serious discussion with their doctor before starting a course of low-dose daily aspirin, said Dr. Frank Sinicrope, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

“This study certainly raises concern over the use of low-dose aspirin in people over the age of 70. It raises concern about the potential for more advanced cancers to develop in these older patients,” Sinicrope said. “I think it’s something they would need to discuss with their doctors, to see what the risk/benefit would be.”

For the clinical trial, the researchers randomly assigned people aged 70 or older to take 100 milligrams a day of either aspirin or a placebo for an average of nearly five years. The vast majority of study participants did not take daily aspirin before age 70.

Out of just over 19,000 participants, 981 taking aspirin and 952 taking a placebo developed cancer during the follow-up period.

Analysis revealed that low-dose aspirin was not associated with a higher risk of developing cancer, Chan said, but that it did appear to be linked to more aggressive cancer.

“Scientists have assumed aspirin works the same in all individuals, but the effect may be different in older adults,” Chan said.

There are two theories why this difference between middle-aged and elderly aspirin users exists, he noted.

One is that aspirin’s anti-cancer benefit might only work if people start taking aspirin at an earlier age. “When you start taking it when you’re older, it may be too late,” Chan explained.

The other theory is that cancers in older people are somehow different than those in younger people.

“Those cancer mechanisms may be different and may be less sensitive to aspirin than cancers that dwell in younger adults,” Chan suggested.

These results were a “huge surprise” to Peter Campbell, scientific director of epidemiology research for the American Cancer Society.

Larger studies involving more clinical trial data are needed to further clarify this odd difference between younger and older folks, he said.

“These results conflict with a lot of larger studies showing either no harm or a net benefit with aspirin,” Campbell said.

The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Source: HealthDay

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