The Age-Well Project

Change the way you age

Get our posts direct to your inbox

  • About The Age-Well Project
  • Books
    • Our Books
    • Reviews
    • References
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Recipes By Ingredient
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Family
    • On The Go
    • Soups and Salads
    • Treats and Snacks
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Press

THE SILVER BULLET FOR ALZHEIMER’S? AND OUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS RECIPES

December 23, 2020 Leave a Comment

It’s going to be a strange Christmas for many of us: plans scrapped at the last minute, not seeing friends and family in the way that we hoped and potential food shortages. Honestly, who’s stockpiling lettuce?! The only option is to make this  festive season the best we can, finding joy in the small things and looking after ourselves.

Let me cheer you with some good news. Two of the treats of Christmas (for me at least) have been linked to reduced Alzheimer’s risk in a study published last month. The research looked at how consumption of specific foods connected to cognitive acuity in later life and found that cheese and red wine, in particular, were linked to reduced risk of mental decline. The research was done in the States, but used data collected by the UK Biobank  from British volunteers.

How the research was done

Participants were tested for Background Fluid Intelligence, which involves solving abstract problems. Decline in ability to solve these problems is linked to greater Alzheimer’s risk. The study revealed cheese consumption to be protective against age-related cognitive problems. Drinking red wine was related to improvements in cognitive function.

As always, I’m not encouraging you to drink more (and since the first lockdown began, my alcohol consumption is at an all-time low) but if you fancy a glass, enjoy it guilt-free. The research suggests daily consumption of wine and cheese are beneficial but that seems a bit much to me. And I can’t find a reference to portion size. It occurs to me that those who consume cheese and wine regularly are more likely to be able to afford good quality foods. The lead researchers on the project did take this into account and have called for randomised control trials (the gold standard of medical research) to drill down further into the relationship between specific foods and brain health. They said, ‘ [we] believe the right food choices can prevent [Alzheimer’s] disease and cognitive decline altogether. Perhaps the silver bullet we’re looking for is upgrading how we eat.’

That silver bullet

This ‘silver bullet’ is  indeed the key to ageing well, as far as I’m concerned. Picking the best, unprocessed foods we can afford, not fixating on avoiding food groups, or harsh diets, is the best way to nurture our health as we get older. It’s certainly something I intend to focus on in 2021.

Of course, there are many benefits to eating cheese: its impact on our gut health and the concentration of spermidine. Red wine is packed with resveratrol  and procyanidins. But I do wonder – and this is just me musing out loud, not backed by clinical science – if the link between consuming cheese and wine and improved cognitive function relates in any way to the fact that they’re so darn enjoyable! Relaxing and eating foods which give us pleasure releases endorphins and serotonin, and happiness helps us age well. (We’ve written about the links between happiness and longevity in our books The Age-Well Project and The Age-Well Plan). And isn’t enjoying a little cheese and wine more fun than eating all that stockpiled lettuce?!

Our favourite festive recipes

We’ve got lots of lovely festive recipes on the blog: if you’re looking for inspiration for some of those endless meals that seem to be required between now and early January, do check out some of our favourites:

Christmas nuts – the perfect snack 

Griddled Brussel sprouts with parmesan – see photo above, we could eat sprouts like this all year round 

Spiced parsnip soup – warming and hearty – a good soup helps round out a meal of leftovers 

Vegetable tartlets for Christmas dinner  – or any dinner when you don’t want to eat meat 

Lentil and herb soup with pomegranate fattoush – I’ll be making this on Christmas Eve

What are you cooking this festive season? Let us know in the comments below.

Wishing you a peaceful and merry Christmas, and an Age-Well New Year!

Susan

  • Meal Types: Family
  • Conditions: Ageing, Alzheimer's
  • Ingredients: Brussel sprouts
« WHY A 12 MINUTE WALK IS ALL IT TAKES (AND A SPECIAL OFFER)
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR BODY AS YOU AGE, AND A BRAIN HEALTH MASTERCLASS »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Welcome to The Age-Well Project

Welcome to The Age-Well Project!
Here you’ll find easy changes for a longer, happier life. We’ve immersed ourselves in the science of longevity and distilled the research to make it work in our everyday lives. You can change the way you age: here’s how.

Favourite Posts

WHY I’VE THROWN OUT ALL MY BEAUTY PRODUCTS (nearly…)

Why Alzheimer’s Is A Women’s Issue

HOW HAVING A DOG CHANGED MY LIFE

GREEN SPACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH

SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SADNESS AND BRAIN-BOOSTING BISCUITS

WHY ‘INFLAMM-AGEING’ COULD START IN THE GUT AND HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

POLYAMINES – THE NEW SECRET WEAPON FOR AGEING WELL & MOROCCAN SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS.

THINNING AGEING HAIR – WARM CHICKEN LIVER SALAD

About The Age Well Project

This site is for anyone who wants to make the second half of their life as healthy, happy and disease-free as possible. Sign up to get the latest research on ageing – and delicious recipes to match – direct to your inbox.

agewellproject

⭐️Change the way you age
📚The Age-Well Project + Age-Well Plan ⭐️Get tips & recipes on our blog - sign up ⬇️

The Age-Well Project blog
Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock access to a sauna. But Susan found one in a hotel she was staying at recently, there’s one in our local gym and Annabel found plenty on her summer holiday in Finland. 

A growing number of studies attest to the longevity-enhancing benefits of routine forays into a sauna. Much of the research has been instigated in Finland where sauna (pronounced to rhyme with downer) has existed forever.

So how does sauna help us age well? The extreme heat activates heat shock proteins which researchers think can maintain the healthy functioning of our cells.  As we get older, the proteins in some of our cells start to misfold and collapse. They then clump together forming plaques, including the plaques thought to cause Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Heat shock proteins – triggered by a sauna stint and possibly by hot baths – appear to prevent the misfolding and collapsing of cellular proteins, as well as clearing out those that have already misfolded. Which is to say they keep our cells in good shape. 

There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth #betterbrainhealth #brainfog  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell
Obsessed with the smoked quinoa in this salad! You Obsessed with the smoked quinoa in this salad! You know we love a good grain and this one is particularly delicious. It’s from our friends @hodmedods and they very kindly gave us a discount code to share with you - it’s valid until the end of September. Code and recipe are on the blog - link in bio (it’s the blog post about reducing dementia risk) #prproduct #recipe #healthyrecipe #discountcode #wholegrains #quinoarecipes #womenover50 #over50 #over50health #postmenopause #over50andfit #dementiaprevention #alzheimers #brainhealth #cognition #agewell
Dear followers, we have been hacked and are in the Dear followers, we have been hacked and are in the process of resolving it. Please do not respond to, or interact with, a request from our impersonator calling themselves theagewellproject. We are agewell project - no The! 

Thank you!
Of course, it’s not about numbers, but we’re s Of course, it’s not about numbers, but we’re so thrilled over 5000 of you have joined us on our mission to age well! Thank you 🙏

If you’re new here, we’re Susan and Annabel, long-time friends turned longevity writers. We started blogging about our quest to age well almost a decade ago (!) - you can find the blog at agewellproject.com or via the link in our bio. 

As working mums, we started looking for simple, science-backed ways to make the best of the second halves of our lives. We wanted to improve our own health and reduce our risk of the chronic conditions of ageing. When we started writing, Susan was caring for her mum, who had dementia, and Annabel has also faced challenges with her family’s health. 

Along the way, the blog became a best-selling book, The Age-Well Project, and further books have followed. You can find out more about us individually @annabelabbs and @susansaundershealth 

The blog is packed with posts on the latest research into the science of longevity, and how we make sense of it in our own lives. And there’s also loads of lovely age-well recipes - all approved by our families! 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause
Wherever you’re walking this August weekend (a b Wherever you’re walking this August weekend (a bank holiday for us 🇬🇧🇬🇧), take time for your feet. They’re mini miracles and looking after them is key to ageing well. 

There’s more on the blog - link in bio.

And save this as a reminder to look after your feet! 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #walking #hiking #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Contact Us

For any enquiries please email theagewellproject@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2023 The Age-Well Project