And all of a sudden – it’s almost Christmas! Another year of ageing well, for us all, we hope. The festive photo of Annabel and I above shows us flanking a Christmas tree decorated by our friend, artist Amy Robson. She handmade the dolls that decorate the tree. Making by hand, crafting in any form, is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Working with your hands lights up an extraordinary number of neural circuits at once: the combination of fine motor control, spatial feedback, decision making and flow builds cognitive reserve, protecting the brain long-term. 2026 will be the year I make something. Just not sure what yet. I’d gladly welcome your suggestions in the comments below.
The joy of art
Talking of art, if getting out and about to an art gallery is on your to-do list over the festive period, then you’ll also be reducing stress. Research by Kings College London, part-sponsored by the Art Fund, compared the physiological impact of viewing original artworks in a gallery, versus looking at reprints in a non-gallery setting.
Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, which are linked to stress and chronic disease, dropped by 30% and 28% respectively for those viewing original art, with no change observed in the reproduction group. This suggests art has a potential calming effect on the body’s inflammatory responses. I would also suggest that there’s something so uplifting about being in an art gallery – the light, the space, the calm – that must also lower stress, don’t you think?
A few other longevity-focussed stories which have crossed my desk this year, but not yet made it onto the blog:
Superagers
We know that there are an elite group of older people known as ‘superagers’: people 80 and up who have the same memory function as someone 20 to 30 years younger. And we know that loneliness impacts cognitive function long term. So it’s not a huge surprise that superagers view social relationships as vitally important. A 25-year study by Northwestern University found this was the unifying factor among superagers – more so than diet, exercise regime or other lifestyle choices.
People with greater social connection experience less chronic stress, which elevates cortisol – which, in turn, leads to inflammation. That, in turn, could damage brain cells and even increase dementia risk.
The most super of agers
Talking of super-agers – or should that be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-agers – the ineffable Dick Van Dyke turned 100 this month. He’s published a book detailing his 100 rules to living to 100. The headlines: he goes to the gym three times a week, dances, takes five lumps of sugar in his coffee, enjoys a power nap and sings every day. Sounds like a recipe for a good, long life (except, maybe, the sugar).
Peanuts
With Christmas, comes feasting, and all manner of treats. Don’t hold back from grabbing a handful of peanuts: research from The Netherlands published earlier this month linked two servings of them to improvements in both brain vascular function and verbal memory. The study focussed on skin-roasted peanuts – not the salted or dry-roasted kind – and found that eating two servings a day increased blood flow to the brain. Peanuts are rich in polyphenols and antioxidants. Berries and dark chocolate also contain these nutrients, so enjoy those this Christmas too.
Annabel on the radio
Annabel and I bonded over our love of books and reading, so it was a joy to hear her on BBC Radio 4’s A Good Read, talking about one of her favourite books, The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd. If you have access to BBC Sounds, you can listen there. Annabel’s episode was the last in the current series. And I can vouch that The Living Mountain is indeed a good read.
A bonus workshop on nutrition for better brain health
I’m running a bonus workshop to help you create Your 2026 Brain Food Plan on January 15th . It’s for everyone who has my course, Feed Your Brain Better. The course is digital so you can buy and access any time. It costs £37 – approx $49. The free bonus workshop is designed to help you stay consistent with nutrition for better brain health in 2026 – especially when things get busy – and will be on Zoom. Details of how to join the course – and the workshop – here
Christmas recipes from the archive
Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without some recipes from the Age Well archive. Here are a few of our festive favourites:
Griddled Brussel sprouts with parmesan
Spiced parsnip soup – warming and hearty
Vegetable tartlets for Christmas dinner
Beautiful-on-the-inside Christmas cake
Wishing you a very happy and healthy festive season
Susan
In respect of aging well have you looked into the work of Prof Glen Jeffries of UCL (on YouTube) on red light’s effect on mitochondria? I am replacing my LED lights with old fashioned incandesent light bulbs and trying to get outside in the morning.
Oh I haven’t Rosamund, but I will! Sounds really interesting, I’m fascinated by the impact of light on our brain health and longevity, and also always get outside in the morning light. I have a Beacon40 light which emits pulsing 40hz gamma light. I’ll do a post on it soon
Hello
I would love to know where I can buy skin-roasted peanuts – I looked online but can’t find any. I’m in London – any tips?
I get them from Morrisons! Otherwise health food shops or the world food sections of larger supermarkets like Sainsbury’s
Thank you for your excellent ‘publication’. I look forward to receiving it and always feel rewarded by the interesting and useful information. There’s a smile in the way you write and generosity in the content. It’s much appreciated. All the best to you both.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Barbara. It’s lovely to hear that you look forward to it. Wishing you the very best for the season ahead