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GET FAT TO BEAT DEMENTIA, REALLY? VITAMIN E AND A CRUMBLE RECIPE

April 17, 2015 1 Comment

crumble-1

This is bonkers, but fat and obese people are less likely to get dementia. Yes, really. Recent research published in The Lancet suggests that being overweight has an 18% reduction in dementia risk and being obese a staggering 24% reduction.

It’s brilliant news if you are overweight of course, but it flies in the face of pretty much every study published EVER. The consensus is that maintaining a healthy body weight, eating well and exercising are the best lifestyle choices when it comes to avoiding age-related degenerative diseases. So this study is a bit of a shock – not least for the researchers who compiled it. “Yes, it is a surprise” said lead researcher Dr Nawab Qizilbash, with masterful understatement. And it is not as if this study was done on half a dozen people – the team analysed medical records from nearly two million people aged 55, on average, for up to twenty years. But Dr Qizilbash still supports a healthy lifestyle as the best way to age. He said “You can’t walk away and think it’s OK to be overweight or obese. Even if there is a protective effect, you may not live long enough to get the benefits”. Which is a good point. There’s more here http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587%2815%2900033-9/abstract

What this does show is that the relationship between health, the brain and the body is endlessly complex and new research is needed constantly. The Alzheimer’s Society put it like this “the mixed picture highlights the difficulty of conducting studies into the complex lifestyle risk factors for dementia”.

There is one school of thought that people who eat more ingest more Vitamin D and Vitamin E – which may have a protective effect against dementia. We’ve posted on the power of Vitamin D here and here but the link to Vitamin E is new to me.

Vitamin E is fat soluble, like Vits A, D and K. It’s also – along with Vitamins A and C – a powerful anti-oxidant, meaning it helps the body deal with free radicals which can cause ageing and disease. Name an age-related health issue and there’s a way that Vitamin E helps protect you against it:

Cardiovascular disease: it protects artery walls from the effects of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, keeps the blood thin and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Cancer: it may protect cells and DNA from damage, prevent pre-cancerous cells from developing and reduce the growth of tumours

Diabetes: Vitamin E enhances the action of insulin and improve blood glucose metabolism

Cognitive decline: it appears to prevent mental degeneration and keeps the nervous system healthy.

Menopause: it reduces the severity of hot flushes (we’ll be posting on the menopause soon)

Of course, you can take a supplement of this multi-tasking Vit but it’s found in lots of our favourite foods – leafy greens, avocados, nuts and seeds. Two of the best sources are sunflower seeds and almonds so we’ve made them star ingredients in this week’s recipe.

This crumble is a Kale & Cocoa-ised version of the traditional classic, with coconut oil (brilliant for the brain) instead of butter plus oats, almonds and wholegrain flour instead of refined white flour. The  genius thing about this recipe is that the crumble topping cooks from frozen, so I keep a batch in the freezer and just sprinkle on whatever fruit is to hand when we need a dessert. I’ve used bananas and frozen berries here because we always have them at home but almost  anything – apples, pears, rhubarb  -would work here. (Although for  rhubarb I’d cook it first in a pan with the maple syrup and some orange juice).

THE KALE & COCOA CRUMBLE (serves 4)

TOPPING:

  • 50g wholegrain (or spelt) flour
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 50g oats
  • 25g chopped or flaked almonds
  • 25g sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbs maple syrup
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 50g coconut oil, melted

FRUIT:

  • 300g frozen berries
  • 2 bananas
  • 3 tbs dried fruit
  • 1 tbs cornflour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbs maple syrup

Mix all the topping ingredients together and shape into a fat disc. Wrap in cling film, freeze for at least half an hour. When you’re ready to cook the crumble, pre-heat the oven to 180C. Spread the berries, sliced bananas and dried fruit in a baking dish. Sprinkle over the cornflour and cinnamon and mix well. Drizzle over the maple syrup and mix again. Take the topping out of the freezer and crumble over the fruit making sure you have a mix of bigger and smaller chunks. Bake for 20-30mins until the topping is browned and fruit is bubbling.

Susan

  • Meal Types: Dessert, Family
  • Conditions: Ageing, Brain and Dementia, Cancer, Diabetes, Heart, Heart disease, Hormones, Strokes
  • Ingredients: Almonds, Banana, Coconut Oil, Oats, sunflower seeds
« IMPROVE YOUR EYESIGHT – EAT MORE FREEKEH!
SHOULD YOU EAT ORGANIC? HOT NICOISE SALAD WITH TUNA »

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  1. YES, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE MENOPAUSE, AND DELICIOUS DHAL - Kale & Cocoa says:
    May 1, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    […] And the vitamin has been shown in many studies to help reduce hot flushes. Our post on Vitamin E is here. Vitamin D (our posts here and here) is vital to help the body absorb the calcium needed to prevent […]

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Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points to a time (for women at least) in their mid-60s when the chronic conditions of ageing, like diabetes, heart disease and dementia, are - statistically - more likely to kick in. 

And we know that our reproductive hormones do so much more than prepare us to have periods and babies, we have receptors for them throughout our bodies and brains. 

Oestrogen, in particular, helps keep bones strong, blood vessels flexible, brains firing and inflammation levels low. Essentially, it wraps us up in a cosy protective cloak to keep us safe and healthy while we're able to reproduce, but once the eggs have run out - we're on our own! 

Between the average age of menopause at 51, and that time in our 60s when the chronic conditions of ageing are more likely to kick in, we have a decade or so in which it’s vital to focus on our health.

And how to do that? It’s on the blog - link in bio

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #menopause #menopausehealth #postmenopause #postmenopausefitness #postmenopausal #oestrogen #hormonalhealth
If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic he If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic health you might want to thank your Mum today. Recent studies have found that women who move around during their reproductive years and during pregnancy and then breastfeed for a bit pass on a compound in their milk called 3SL which provides lifelong protection against poor metabolic health. The offspring of moving, breastfeeding Mums appear to have a lower lifetime risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic disease. Even gentle strolling during pregnancy and while nursing can produce this compound. So today we thank our Mums for that - as well as everything else.  Susan’s mum in the hat. Annabel’s mum in the pony tail. 

#mothersday #mothers #move #agewell #goodhealth #longevitylifestyle #longevity #walk
There’s been lots of good news for walkers recen There’s been lots of good news for walkers recently. A study published last month found that over-60s who walked between 6000 and 9000 steps a day cut their risk of heart disease (including strokes and heart attacks) by 40-50 percent, when compared to a more typical 2000 steps a day. In fact this study found that for every additional 1000 steps walked, the risk fell still further. 

How far are you walking to age well? Let us know in the comments and there’s more on the power of walking on the blog - link in bio

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The campaign this year reminds us to embrace equity as a way to recognise that each of us has different circumstances, and we need different resources and opportunities to reach an equal outcome. Of course, this is as vital in ageing and health outcomes as in every other field.  

So we’re embracing our age and hoping to grow older in a more equitable society ❤️

#internationalwomensday #embraceequity #embracequity2023 ##longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #iwd2023 #madformidlife
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If you’re not sure how to start or are worried about looking silly (we were) - there are lots of tips on the blog, link in bio. 

If you’re a backwards walker, let us know in comments below! 

If you’re planning to start, save this post for when you’re ready for some reverse walking 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #walking #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike #reversewalking #backwardswalking #walkingbackwards
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