The Age-Well Project

NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD BROWN FAT

We turn the heating off at night, in our house. Manually. And I’m an early riser. Which means that when I wake up – usually around 6am, often earlier – it’s both dark and very cold. Our house is old, with single glazed windows, so any residual heat from the previous day has invariably escaped...

The ‘flavodiet’ and other ways to age well in 2025

Happy 2025! That came around quickly, didn’t it? Annabel and I hope you had a wonderful festive season and feel recharged, ready for the year ahead. While we’re always wary of New Year’s resolutions here at the Age-Well Project, I’m looking at some nutritional tweaks to support my health – and particularly my cognitive health...

MOVE LIKE A MIDDLE-AGER, EAT CHOCOLATE, DRINK COFFEE

I was recently in Brussels and took the opportunity to visit the city’s fabulous collection of Old Masters. The Brueghels (or Bruegels, as you prefer) caught my eye – not only for their colour and verve but for their insight into how our ancestors lived. Look closely at these paintings of sixteenth century village life...

What speeds up ageing? UPFs

For a recent TV project I tasted 40 different, highly-processed foods in a day. At the start, it felt fun and exciting – a day off from my usual brain-healthy diet – but by the end I felt dehydrated, somewhat nauseous and very bloated. My mouth was coated in salt and a taste I can’t...

MELATONIN AND OTHER MARVELS

I’m just back from walking through Sicily, which has reminded me of the importance of sunlight, darkness and exercise for fantastic sleep. After days of long and strenuous walking – up and down the Madonie mountains and their steeply-sided medieval villages – I slept like a dog/baby/log (as you prefer). Here, in the mountains, the...