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Healthy soils are good for your gut, brain and wellbeing – here’s why

Healthy soils are good for your gut, brain and wellbeing – here’s why: Degraded soils in Turkana Kapetadie village, Kenya. UNCCD, CC BY-NC-ND Often overlooked, soil is one of our planet’s largest living ecosystems and the foundation of our lives. It provides 95% of our food, supports global biodiversity and helps balance the climate by …

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Healthy food is hard to come by in Cape Town’s poorer areas: how community gardens can fix that

Healthy food is hard to come by in Cape Town’s poorer areas: how community gardens can fix that: Community gardens can be a boon for residents. Nattrass/Getty Images In 1950, as part of the Group Areas Act, South Africa’s apartheid government banished people of colour to outlying areas, away from central business districts. The Cape …

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Health risks at home: a study in six African countries shows how healthy housing saves children’s lives

Health risks at home: a study in six African countries shows how healthy housing saves children’s lives: Housing is a critical social determinant of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy housing as a shelter that supports physical, mental and social wellbeing. The WHO has developed guidelines outlining the attributes of healthy housing. These …

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Learn to think like a plant: five questions to think about if you want to keep your houseplants healthy

Learn to think like a plant: five questions to think about if you want to keep your houseplants healthy: Many people struggle to keep their houseplants alive. Okrasiuk/Shutterstock You don’t drown by falling into the water; you drown by staying there (Edwin Louis Cole). I’d say most potted orchid deaths arise from drowned roots. Conversely, …

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Fur seals on a remote island chain are exposed to huge amounts of toxic heavy metals – yet somehow, they’re healthy

Fur seals on a remote island chain are exposed to huge amounts of toxic heavy metals – yet somehow, they’re healthy: Juan Fernández fur seals were once hunted for their semi-waterproof fur. Constanza Toro Valdivieso, Author provided Juan Fernández fur seals are so poorly understood that they were considered extinct for nearly a century before …

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Is ice cream really healthy? Here’s what the evidence says

Is ice cream really healthy? Here’s what the evidence says: A little bit every now and again probably won't hurt. Johnstocker Production/Shutterstock Ice cream lovers worldwide were probably rejoicing when a recent article suggested that indulging in your favourite flavour might be healthy. The article drew upon a 2018 doctoral thesis, which suggested that people …

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South Africans have starkly unequal access to a healthy diet – the solution requires tackling deep-seated historical injustice

South Africans have starkly unequal access to a healthy diet – the solution requires tackling deep-seated historical injustice: shutterstock South Africa has a food crisis. The food system – made up of all of the activities and actors involved in the production, processing, transportation, selling, consumption and disposal of food – produces starkly unequal access …

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COVID vaccines: why the UK needs to rethink its decision to stop boosters for young and healthy people

COVID vaccines: why the UK needs to rethink its decision to stop boosters for young and healthy people: AnnaStills/Shutterstock The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recently recommended that the current autumn booster campaign, offering additional COVID vaccine doses to higher-risk groups, including people with certain medical conditions and those aged over 50, …

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COVID and your gut: how a healthy microbiome can reduce the severity of infection – and vice versa

COVID and your gut: how a healthy microbiome can reduce the severity of infection – and vice versa: Helena Nechaeva/Shutterstock A vast combination of microorganisms live in our gut, including bacteria, fungi and viruses. Collectively, we refer to this as the the microbiome. Despite their tiny size, these microbes have significant effects on our health …

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Growing plants on buildings can reduce heat and produce healthy food in African cities

Growing plants on buildings can reduce heat and produce healthy food in African cities: Seylou/AFP via Getty Images Persistently high temperatures and related heat stress are a big problem for people living in cities, especially in slums and informal settlements. It’s a problem that is expected to continue. According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel in …

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Healthy eating: children think their peers eat more unhealthy snacks than they actually do – changing this perception can lead to better diets

Healthy eating: children think their peers eat more unhealthy snacks than they actually do – changing this perception can lead to better diets: Stock_Good/Shutterstock Obesity is a growing problem among young people in the UK. In 2020-21, 40.9% of year six children (age 10-11) were measured as overweight or obese. Research shows that childhood obesity …

Read moreHealthy eating: children think their peers eat more unhealthy snacks than they actually do – changing this perception can lead to better diets