The talk in geroscience circles over the last fortnight has been all about selenium: can selenium supplements give us the longer healthier life we want? The excitement was sparked by an experiment that found mice given selenium supplements had an improved health span (a longer disease-free period at the end of their lives). How does…
Answering your most frequently-asked questions – and a giveaway
A huge thank you to everyone who came to my ‘Feel Great: Age Well’ webinar last month. It felt very special to launch The Age-Well Plan with our warm and wonderful community here. And if it wasn’t the In Real Life event I’d hoped for at the beginning of the year, it was lovely to…
EAT MORE MUSHROOMS: ITALIAN MUSHROOM SALAD
A study in last month’s Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease had me googling frenziedly for several hours. Could I really reduce my chances of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by 50% merely from eating a few more mushrooms? There are moments when I’m quite sure I already have mild cognitive impairment (MCI, defined as the stage between…
HOW TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER LAUGHTER & FARRO SALAD WITH EGGS AND SMOKED MACKEREL
A few weeks ago I had dinner with one of the UK’s kings of comedy. Charlie Higson, writer, producer and comedian in shows like Saturday Live, the Harry Enfield Programme, Reeves and Mortimer and The Fast Show, had us all in stitches. After a while, we were laughing before Charlie even opened his mouth, almost…
DEMENTIA AND WINTER FISH SALAD
A few months ago I found an elderly man in my street, cowering against a wall. It was dark and he was clearly disoriented, upset and frightened. He wasn’t fully dressed and appeared to have wet himself. I confess I had no idea what to do or who to call. The police? The ambulance? Wouldn’t…
WHY STRESS MATTERS – FREEKEH WITH ARTICHOKES
It’s been a stressful time in British politics. Our political elite appear to have disintegrated in the space of a week. As I’ve watched Tony Blair, David Cameron, Barack Obama and a host of other politicians on screen, I‘ve distracted myself with close scrutiny of their appearance. And I’ve been struck by how quickly they’ve…
FOODS FOR BREAST CANCER – EASY-PEASY GAZPACHO
It’s a sad fact that most of us know someone affected by breast cancer. 1 in 8 women face the prospect of getting breast cancer, making it by far the most common cancer in females. But medics and scientists now believe diet and life style can play an important role. And some of the most…
WHY THE GUT IS WHERE IT’S AT – AUBERGINE, TOMATO AND CHICK PEA STEW
Would you put your own child on a diet of fast food in the name of research? No, neither would I … but I know a man who did. And the results were frightening. Professor Tim Spector’s newly launched book, The Diet Myth, is a riveting read. It’s all about the microbiome (the bugs living…
CANCER, NUTRITION AND, ER, SOME SUMMER SALAD DRESSINGS
I’ve been blind-sided in recent weeks by news that a family member has secondary cancer. We’re keeping everything crossed but it’s tough news to hear. This, and the cancer treatment that a close friend’s mum is undergoing, has made me keen to know more about the advice given to cancer patients, and their carers, on…
