Selected Writing Portfolio
Study Shows Benefits of EVOO Supplementation in Male Athletes
The research was conducted on healthy male athletes of ages 19 and 22 and found that extra virgin olive oil consumption was associated with a statistically significant increase in testosterone in the supplemented groups compared to athletes in the non-supplemented groups and sedentary controls.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Health & Diet
Olive Grove Bacteria May Hold Key to Combating Xylella
A research team from the University of Jaén has identified a group of dormant bacteria in the leaves and soil of olive trees that protect them from environmental challenges. Genetic analysis has demonstrated that several microorganisms provide biological advantages akin to a secondary immune system.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change, Trade & Business
Common Olive Pomace Compound Demonstrates Anticancer Potential
Researchers at the University of Granada have developed nanoparticles of maslinic acid, a natural compound derived from olive oil production waste. These nanoparticles exhibit remarkable potential in combating various cancers, including breast, colon, pancreatic and prostate.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture, Health & Diet
Research Shows the Role of Polyphenols in Inhibiting Cancer Metastasis
Scientists from the Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga and the Nanomedicine Platform have published a study exploring the role of oleocanthal and oleacein in modulating angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, which is directly related to the progression of different types of tumors and the metastasis of cancer.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Health & Diet
Polyphenol in EVOO May Shield Kidneys from Diabetes-Related Damage, Study Finds
In the first study of its kind, a team from the Málaga Biomedical Research Institute and Nanomedicine Platform and the University of Málaga has examined the ability of a trace polyphenol found in extra virgin olive oil to protect against kidney damage associated with type 1 diabetes.
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- Health & Diet
Adherence to Mediterranean Diet Alleviates PTSD Symptoms, Study Suggests
A study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has shed new light on the intricate relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dietary patterns and the gut microbiome.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Health & Diet
Andalusia Expands Efforts to Reduce CO2, Promote Biodiversity
Andalusia’s regional government, the Junta de Andalucía, has agreed with the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/BirdLife) to expand the presence of the LIFE Olivares Vivos+ olive cultivation model to reduce the region’s carbon dioxide footprint.
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- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change
Research Reveals How Deadly Pathogen Infects Olive Trees
Using a new method of in vitro analysis, researchers from the University of Córdoba’s agronomy department have proven how fluid emitted from olive tree roots allows the germination of the fungus that causes Verticillium wilt.
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- Biology & Agriculture
Intensive Agriculture Blamed for Bird Population Decline in Spain
The latest Atlas of Breeding Birds in Spain shows a population decline of about 27 percent in birds linked to agricultural environments. The intensification of farming methods is the driving force, according to SEO/BirdLife, with super-high-density olive groves being particularly detrimental to key species.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change
From Andalusia to Madrid, Spain Shocked at Wave of Olive Thefts
From Granada to Madrid, widespread and well-organized olive thefts are occurring on an unprecedented scale across Spain as the price of olive oil continues to break records.
An olive grower from Brea del Tajo, in the autonomous community of Madrid, estimates that he has lost 25 tons of olives to theft so far this season.
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- Biology & Agriculture, Trade & Business
Study Demonstrates Role of Phenols in Early Pregnancy
Oleuropein, a phenolic compound found in olive oil, fruits, and leaves, is well known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. While numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of olive oil-rich diets during pregnancy, there have been no human studies on the role of olive phenols or polyphenols in embryo implantation and development.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture, Health & Diet
Olive Grove Expansion Threatens Endangered Bird Species in Spain
According to researchers from the University of Córdoba and Ecuador's Technical University of Manabí, the expansion of olive groves in Andalusia is impacting the habitat of the already scarce populations of Eurasian great bustard and little bustard.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change
French Olive Sector Anticipates 50 Percent Harvest Loss
Following predictions of record harvest losses in Italy and Spain, France Olive has warned that this year’s extreme weather events are likely to result in 50 percent losses for the olive harvest in France as well. According to data from the International Olive Council, France produced 4,600 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, which was also marked by several climatic challenges.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change, Trade & Business
A Winter’s Night Walk Through Moncofa
In many ways, Moncofa is a microcosm of Spain as a whole. Its history stretches back millennia, encompassing every period from neolithic prehistory through the Roman era to the present day. During the property boom of the early 2000s, sweeping plans were put in place for the reinvention of the town as a major resort. This is far from unique for this stretch of coastline, but Moncofa stands out because of how catastrophically those plans failed.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- History & Culture
Study: Traditional Olive Groves Absorb More Carbon than Intensive Ones
As part of Project OLIVEN, a research team from the University of Jaén has concluded its study into the environmental impact of both traditional and intensive extra virgin olive oil production. Its findings show that traditional olive groves absorb significantly more CO2 than those using intensive (high-density or super-high-density) farming methods.
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- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change
Researchers Reintroduce Bats to Andalusian Olive Groves to Combat Pests
After evaluating the results of bat reintroduction across the Iberian peninsula, the LIFE Olivares Vivos+ project announced the expansion of this initiative due to the combination of effective olive pest reduction and the subsequent ecological and financial benefits stemming from reduced use of artificial pesticides and fertilizers.
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- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change
How to Follow the Mediterranean Diet and Enjoy Its Health Benefits
For years now, the Mediterranean diet has rightfully been publicly celebrated for its physical and mental health benefits, but what exactly is it, and how does it work? In simple terms, the Mediterranean diet refers to the traditional diet of olive-growing regions before the introduction of fast food, large quantities of red meats and other harmful habits that arose from the globalization of the decades following World War II.
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- Health & Diet
The Dark History of Moncofa – The Orange Grove Graves
In late October of 2017, I rented an apartment in the small coastal town of Moncofa. From my terrace, I could see the Mediterranean to the East, and the foothills of the Sierra de Espadán rising in the West. At night my dreams were filled with visions of the sea as the waves crashed below me. It was idyllic.
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- History & Culture
Biodiversity Project Expands Beyond Spain
The new LIFE Olivares Vivos+ project, which aims to decrease the environmental impact of olive cultivation while increasing profits for farmers, is to expand beyond Spain into the main olive-growing regions of Italy, Greece, and Portugal. Presented at the headquarters of the International Olive Council in Madrid, the project is to run from this year until 2026.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, & Climate Change
Researchers Identify Xylella Vectors on Balearic Islands
A research team from the University of the Balearic Islands has identified two species of insects as the main vectors of Xylella fastidiosa on the Mediterranean archipelago. The researchers from the university's applied zoology and conservation research group found Philaenus spumarius and Neophilaenus campestris to be the two main carriers of the deadly olive tree pathogen.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Biology & Agriculture
Childhood Obesity on the Rise in Spain as Adherence to Med Diet Falls
Save the Children, an international non-governmental organization, has issued a stark warning about the future of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, citing socioeconomic inequality and the Covid-19 pandemic as significant driving factors in its decline.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- Health & Diet
Noson Galan Gaeaf – a Pagan Halloween from Celtic Wales
A few days ago I was talking with an acquaintance about the Black Mountains in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Part of the Brecon Beacons National Park, the landscape is breathtaking - a seemingly unending panorama stretching out in all directions. My first serious sojourn into these mountains was early in the afternoon of Halloween, or Nos/Noson Galan Gaeaf in Welsh.
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Read article by Simon Roots...
- History & Culture