EAT CHEESE, READ BOOKS, LEARN A LANGUAGE, DRINK TEA

Did you eat a lot of cheese over Christmas and New Year? Well, panic not.  Turns out cheese is an age-well food. In fairness we were bigging up cheese as a delicious longevity food, years back, as you can read here.

The latest study suggests that cheese  can lower our dementia risk – although no one is quite sure how or why. This new study found that eating 50 grams (1.76 ounces) or more of high-fat cheese a day correlated with a lower risk of developing dementia. That means all cheeses with more than 20 percent fat content – from brie and cheddar, to parmesan, gruyere, and mozzarella.

But should we trust these findings? Well, yes, I think we should. The study ticked many of the boxes that Susan and I look for when we dig into a research study.  It followed 27,670 adults in Sweden for around 25 years (so a large cohort, observed over a very long period of time). The findings revealed an association between eating high-fat cheese and a lower dementia risk that the study authors described as ‘statistically detectable’. They stripped out all potentially confounding factors, meaning the ‘association’ couldn’t be obviously attributed to anything else.

As the researchers said, ‘After adjusting for age, sex, education, and overall diet, people who ate more than 50 grams of high-fat cheese per day had a 13 percent lower all-cause dementia risk compared to people who ate less than 15 grams per day.’

Interestingly, low-fat cheese, milk, kefir and yogurt failed to reveal the same association. Before you go wild with the cheeseboard, it might be worth waiting for more research.  But in the meantime, there’s no need to feel guilty about tucking into your favourite cheese (daily).

And now to new year’s resolutions.  I made my new year’s resolution back in October (why not start early?).  It was to read more books.  I already read a lot for my work, but I wanted to read differently. I wanted to read more for pleasure. And perhaps fewer medical tomes and research studies (don’t worry, I still check my ‘longevity’ feeds every day!). After all, I’m a writer of fiction and narrative non-fiction before anything else.

But, like many people, I’ve found myself reading less.  Reading for pleasure has fallen by 40% in the last few years – and I’m one of those casualties. It was reading Simone de Beauvoir’s war time diaries that reminded me of the joys – and discipline – of reading. Beauvoir read several books a week – often classics, but also contemporary novels and memoirs. She made time to read. She sat in cafes with her book and read for a couple of hours every day, before going to her teaching job. Of course, she had no TV, no Netflix, no internet, no social media to scroll, no family to tend to. But reading about her reading reminded me that I gain far more from reading a book than from doom-scrolling or online shopping.

Moreover, I know from all the published studies, that reading is really and genuinely good for our brain. Take this recent summary  of previous studies which concluded that regular reading improved brain connectivity and function, consolidating neural connections and enhancing brain connectivity, while also improving memory and concentration and slowing down cognitive decline. ‘Lifelong reading maintains cognitive functions and slows down cognitive decline, decreasing the chances of conditions such as dementia,’ explained the authors.

A 2021 study found that reading was dose-dependent – meaning the more we read, the better our brain health.  This study of 2000 people over the age of 65 concluded with a clear and decisive paragraph: ‘Reading was protective of cognitive function in later life. Frequent reading activities were associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline for older adults from all levels of education.’

Not yet in a book group? Well, take note of a review of 11 studies showing that shared reading among older adults helped alleviate loneliness and social isolation, making them feel more joyful and hopeful (perhaps the most vital things of all for ageing well).  Susan and I have been in the same book group for 20 years – and can vouch for the delights and stimulation of shared reading.  Fiction (and narrative non-fiction like memoir and biography) appears to be particularly good at helping reduce loneliness because it activates the more empathetic parts of our brain, helping us  connect more effectively and profoundly with others. Many libraries and book shops host book groups, if you’d like to sample one.

Still not convinced? Well, this study (which is really a review of 43 earlier studies) found ‘reading for pleasure increases feelings of positivity, self-understanding, empathic relations…self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and connectedness.’ What’s not to like?

My other resolution is to master a second language.  I’ve been learning French forever (literally) but my progress feels slow and clumsy. So I’m off to Montpellier later this month to do an intensive French course. Hopefully, total immersion will accelerate my slow progress!

Why bother? A huge study of 86,000 people aged 51 to 90, published in November’s Nature Aging (a highly regarded journal) found those speaking two or more languages had significantly less biological ageing than those who only speak one language.  Learning a second language appears to protect the brain – an effect that  increases with the number of languages spoken.  So, yes, like reading, language learning shows dose-dependent benefits.  The more you do, the better your brain. The authors proposed that a second (or more – yikes!) language strengthens cognitive networks, potentially slowing age-related cognitive deterioration.

The researchers hypothesise that ‘when someone knows two or more languages, all those languages remain active in the brain.’ When that person wants to speak, their brain must select the right language while preventing others from interfering – a constant mental exercise they describe as a form of ‘brain training.’   Choosing one language, suppressing others and then switching between them strengthens multiple brain networks, which – over a lifetime – acts as a regular mental workout that could protect the brain as it ages. And the more languages we speak, the harder our brain must work.

In other words, if you’re short of a new year’s resolution, you could think about reading more this year, and perhaps learning a language. Your brain will thank you.  And so, I suspect, will those around you.  Not only will you halt any decline into cognitive impairment, but you will continue to be the interesting, interested, curious and empathetic friend and family member that you are now!

For a double whammy, can I suggest a book group in a foreign language? I’m not at that standard yet, but my goal is to get there – one day!

Neither of these activities needs to be entirely sedentary either.  French can be learned while on the move (try some of the excellent podcasts like ‘A Little Talk in Slow French’) and books can be listened to while out walking, using the Audible app.

Alternatively, sit down with your book/language lesson and a cup of tea.  A study published just before Christmas found that tea-drinking protects against osteoporosis (unlike alcohol, for example). Here, researchers analyzed the bones and beverage habits of roughly 9,700 women over 65 in Australia. They discovered that those who regularly drank tea had higher bone mineral density than those who didn’t drink tea. Coffee drinks had more mixed results with those who drank five or more cups of coffee a day having weaker bone mineral density.

As the study author said, ‘For older women, enjoying a daily cup of tea may be more than a comforting ritual, it could be a small step toward stronger bones.’ We’re all in favour of strong bones here at the Age-Well Project – the stronger the better. In my next post on poles (yes, it’s coming) I’ll also be sharing details of my latest DEXA scan. And if you’ve not had one of those for a few years, you might want to add that to your New Year’s Resolution list too.

Happy New Year to you all – and thank you for your continued support and your lovely comments during 2025.  We so appreciate them.  And if you know anyone who wants to age a little better in 2026, please forward them this email…

Annabel