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In cold conditions, brown adipose tissue (BAT) or brown fat generates heat to keep the body warm. Compared with white adipose tissue, BAT has more mitochondria—subcellular organelles associated with energy production—which allows it to burn calories and produce heat by activating the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1). The stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) after cold exposure, exercise, and calorie restriction is well known to induce fat browning. Dietary polyphenols may also activate BAT, causing heat to be dissipated from our bodies. BAT activation and white fat browning are thus both therapeutically significant in the fight against cardiovascular diseases...

A bioactive compound found in cocoa powder and dark chocolate could help middle-aged adults enjoy exercise, a new study has suggested. The research analyzed the potential health benefits of cocoa flavanols, a plant nutrient extracted from cocoa beans. Cocoa flavanols are found in abundance in cocoa powder, and to a lesser extent in dark chocolate, and can be consumed as a supplement. Because cocoa flavanols have a 'vasodilatory' effect, helping to increase blood flow, they've been shown to prevent blood clots and even combat memory decline. And the report found that cocoa flavanols contribute to faster oxygen uptake kinetics—with improved...

Indulging in chocolate is one surefire way to satisfy a sweet tooth. And according to a new study published in The FASEB Journal, your health can actually benefit from this treat. To gather their findings, the team studied 19 postmenopausal women who ate 100 grams of chocolate within one hour of waking up in the morning. Next, their volunteers dined on the same amount of the sweet one hour before going to sleep. After examining weight gain and similar measures in comparison to people who didn't eat chocolate at all, the researchers discovered that those who consumed the treat didn't...

Tarta de Santiago – or St. James Cake – is a traditional Spanish cake from Galicia made with almonds and flavored with cinnamon, lemon zest, and sometimes sweet wine or brandy. I found it on Albert Bevia’s YouTube channel, ‘Spain on a Fork’ (lots of nice recipes here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JesYuzdlu_sUnderneath the video, ‘Show More’ includes the full recipe and a link to a pattern for a St. James Cross stencil that you can make for the powdered sugar top decoration - or you can buy a nice birch wood stencil on Etsy that comes with recipes: https://www.etsy.com/listing/841418990/tarta-de-santiago-cake-stencil-st-james?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=tarta+de+santiago&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1Another very nice website for...

Thorntons will permanently close all of its UK stores after more than a century of trading, the company has announced. The chocolate retailer will shut 61 stores, impacting 603 jobs, in the latest round of cuts to the high street amid the Covid-19 pandemic. After 110 years of creating chocolate, Thorntons said the ‘obstacles’ Covid-19 has brought on the high street are ‘too severe’ to survive. However, the retailer said it has seen sales surge online and will now invest in its grocery supply business as part of the company-wide shake-up. Retail director, Adam Goddard, said in a statement: ‘Changing...

Luxury chocolatier Godiva is getting out of the brick and mortar business. The company is closing or selling all 128 of its brick-and-mortar stores in North America, it announced in a statement. It plans to complete the closures and sales by the end of March. Godiva will keep its stores open across Europe, Middle East and Greater China. The company did not disclose information on how many employees would be let go because of the closures. Less than two years ago, Godiva was planning a massive expansion by getting into the cafe business. The chocolatier opened its first cafe in...

A sweet fan-favorite collaboration is back for a limited time. Last year, Yuengling and Hershey's joined forces to create a limited-edition Chocolate Porter that was only available on draft in 14 states. Now, the companies say the drink is making its comeback and will be available in both draft and bottle forms — this time in 22 states. With a 4.7% ABV, the brew blends Hershey's chocolate with caramel and roasted malts and pairs well with barbecued meats, cheeses, and of course, chocolate. The Chocolate Porter 12-pack will be available for purchase now through Valentine's Day. You can click here...

Somebody got burger all over this chocolate! According to various reports, a Burger King in Taiwan has released a Whopper with an unusual topping as part of a promotional event. Oddly enough, a similar burger was once joked about by Burger King for an April Fool’s Day gag. Burger King locations in Tainan City have reportedly debuted a Whopper topped with chocolate sauce as part of a promotional event, Kotaku reports. The burger is reportedly called the Hershey’s Chocolate Whopper and is, aside from the chocolate sauce, a typical Whopper.

A major fire has resulted in significant damage to the upper fuselage of an Ethiopian Airlines 777F in Shanghai (PVG). The six-year-old aircraft had arrived from Brussels (BRU). According to the airline, the fire occurred while cargo was being loaded. The 777F was about to fly to Sao Paulo (GRU) and Santiago (SCL) via Addis Ababa (ADD). There were no injuries. Photos and videos on Chinese social media show the fire burning through the fuselage skin in several locations. In a statement, Ethiopian said it had worked with the authorities to contain the fire, and that the cause of the...

There are a number of dates throughout the year promoting variations of local, national or international Chocolate Day – our research leads us to believe that this is the true, definitive, purist ‘Chocolate Day‘, so celebrate with some of the high cocoa, rich, dark chocolate that makes you go tingly inside. Chocolate Day is nothing short of a special tribute to mankind’s greatest culinary invention. (Sorry Bread or even Pizza!) Chocolate can enhance and help to create the most luxurious desserts and can even be enjoyed and indulged on its own. Some of the most popular chocolate bars are plain...

Your brain pays attention to when, as well as what, you eat.Most of us do not need another reason to enjoy chocolate at any time of the day. For many chocoholics, which includes most of the post-menopausal women in the world, the presence of stimulants in chocolate, including sugar, phenethylamine (think amphetamine) and theobromine (think caffeine), can interfere with falling asleep if consumed prior to bed time. A recently published study discovered that eating a little chocolate for breakfast may lead to better sleep at night. Good sleep is a rare experience for most of us. Worse, the quality of...

Despite Swiss Air’s ten-year affiliation with Läderach, the airline dropped the chocolatier after protests and extensive vandalism by left-wing activists, homosexuals, and young socialists, according to a report by LifeSite News. Jürg Läderach, who owns the high-end chocolate company, is also the president of “Christianity for Today” (CFT), a Swiss evangelical organization Last fall, activists attacked a Läderach store in Basel, Switzerland, using Butyric acid, forcing the store to close for two days. This assault was just one instance of vandalism against the chocolatier, which reportedly took place at seven different stores. According to the Swiss news magazine Beobachter, negative...

In a small step for man but a giant leap for baked goods, chocolate chip cookies have become the first food to be baked in space. The round biscuits were prepared in a special oven on board the International Space Station (ISS), led by commander Luca Parmitano and astronaut Christina Koch. The process was a real mission and it took several long days for the crew to experiment with different methods....

PITTSBURGH - Good things come to those who wait, and for folks who have been craving a Clark Bar, the chocolate covered peanut butter crunch bars first developed in Pittsburgh will be available in November. The maker of Mallo Cups is very close to rolling out Clark Bars at its plant in Altoona, the first to be produced in western Pennsylvania in decades. Anthony Forgione, CEO of Boyer Candy Co., said via email on Friday that Clark Bars will be available in its outlets and online within the next three weeks and will be released nationally by Thanksgiving.

SEATTLE, WA — The sugar coma is real, one Seattle man has learned first hand. Seattle Police say a 44-year-old man broke into a downtown office building Thursday night, then scarfed down hundreds of dollars in chocolate and took a nap. According to police, an employee called 911 after the man broke into an otherwise empty financial office, rearranged a painting then set his sights on a glass bowl full of sweets. When officers arrived at the 600 block of Union Street, they found the man had taken off his shoes, watch and jacket and was relaxing on a couch,...

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WNCN) - An Orange County chocolate shop owner is an unlikely voice in what’s turning out to be a high stakes game of free speech – and he is showing no signs of backing down. Matthew Shepherd says almost every Saturday a group gathers outside his chocolate shop in downtown Hillsborough waving Confederate flags. “They were calling me names, they’re calling everybody names,” Shepherd said. “They’re instigating, they’re poking, they’re blocking the sidewalk.”

NEW YORK -- It may sound too good to be true, but researchers now say indulging in that piece of chocolate is actually the best cure for your cough. A research group from a university in England randomly prescribed more than 160 patients either regular cough medicine or a chocolate-based medicine. Patients on the chocolate-based medication reported improving more quickly than those on regular cough syrup.

Parents have expressed outrage over the "racist" design of a limited edition Kinder Egg toy, with one mum saying that she was "sickened". A large number of people took to Facebook to post photos of the "nasty" plastic toy.

Europe's far-right community is boycotting Toblerone chocolate after learning that the sweet is now halal. The certification that enables practicing Muslims to eat the well-known triangular chocolate actually came in April, but a social media post by a spokesman for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, known as AfD, brought it to the forefront last week. Then came the hashtag #BoycottToblerone, which has since spread to other countries, including England, France and the Netherlands... Deerfield, Illinois-based Mondelēz International, which owns Toblerone, told CNN that the production process for the chocolate made in a factory in Bern, Switzerland, didn't need to...