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When to start reducing dementia risk? Now!

March 8, 2019 5 Comments

 

Core to our Age-Well Project is understanding that the more we do to reduce our risk of age-related degenerative disease now, in our 50s, the better. Many diseases of old age take root in mid-life: for a healthy, happy old age we need to tackle our future wellbeing now.

So we were fascinated to read new research confirming this. Researchers in Sweden tracked 800 women for 44 years to see if their activities, both physical and mental, could impact their dementia risk. At the start of the project the average age was 47 (roughly where Annabel and I were when we started this Project) and the women were followed for the rest of their lives. They were ranked according to their level of creative activity, so visiting an art gallery or theatre in the last six months counted as moderate activity. High activity was defined as more frequent cultural visits, and painting or singing in a choir. They were also divided according to their levels of physical activity:  active (ranging from walking, gardening or biking to more intense exercise like running or swimming for at least four hours per week)  and inactive (less than four hours of light physical movement a week).

By the end of the study, almost a quarter of them had developed some form of dementia. Those categorised as having high mental activity were 34 percent less likely to develop dementia in any form (and 46 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s) than those with low mental activity. And those who were physically active were 56 percent less likely to develop any form of dementia.

GIVE UP GIVING UP!

So NOW is the time – whatever your age – to make a change, take up a new hobby or intensify your exercise plan. With Lent falling this week there’s been plenty of talk about ‘giving up’ things. But we prefer thinking of it as ‘taking up’ something. What activity can you add to your weekly routine to make a difference? This doesn’t mean committing to a huge new exercise programme. It might be a trip to a local gallery or dropping into a fitness class. If you add something you love, rather than take something away, it will be easier and more enjoyable.

So this weekend Annabel has booked into a laughter yoga class (she’ll blog about it soon but it sounds HUGE fun) and I’ll be heading to the National Portrait Gallery to catch the new Martin Parr exhibition.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

It’s International Women’s Day today so it seems a good time to share our new ‘author’ pic, taken for the jacket of our book. I’m so happy to have my bright, creative, supportive pal by my side on our Age-Well Project. Committing to staying healthy in middle age in hard and we all need an ‘accountability buddy’ to help us through. Women are so good at supporting one another, so let’s celebrate that today.

And don’t forget that Alzheimer’s is a women’s issue. Women account for two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases.  In the over-65 age group 1 in 6 women will develop Alzheimer’s by 2050, the figure is 1 in 11 for men. And the burden of caring falls disproportionally on women, too. You can read our blog post on this here.

GUARDIAN MASTERCLASS

We’re beyond thrilled to have been asked to give a Guardian Masterclass on June 11th. We’ll be sharing our top tips on how to live a longer, healthier and happier life: starting right now. And we’ll break down our four cornerstones of healthy ageing, explaining how to put them into practice and stay on track with your own Age-Well Project. You can book tickets here:

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses/2019/mar/04/the-age-well-project-preparing-for-a-longer-healthier-and-happier-life-annabel-streets-susan-saunders-health-wellbeing-course

 

Susan

Photo by Charlie Hopkinson ©

 

 

  • Conditions: Ageing, Alzheimer's, Brain and Dementia
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Comments

  1. Diana Studer says

    March 9, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    I’m vegetarian. How many of the recipes in your book will be meat-based? Will you offer vegetarian alternatives

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      March 14, 2019 at 1:25 pm

      Hi Diana. off the top of my head we only have one meat recipe that I can recall. We don’t eat much meat but we like to include the odd dish for those that do (and we have husbands who we’ve never managed to wean!).

      Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      March 24, 2019 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Diana, there are only a couple of meat-based recipes in the book. The book is more of a general guide to healthy ageing than a recipe book. I do hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Gaynor says

    March 12, 2019 at 3:30 am

    Looking good you two! I think it is the first time I have seen you together in a photo. Of course it helps to have a close friend and confidant to support you and bounce ideas with. It will help you both to age well having that relationship.
    Sorry I can’t come to your presentation, but I am in a different country.
    I have ordered the book and although I am a coeliac, I am used to adjusting recipes.
    Congratulations and keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      March 14, 2019 at 1:23 pm

      That’s very kind, Gaynor. We’re sorry not to see you, of course. But perhaps we’ll make it to the other side of the world one day! Thanks for all your support over the years…

      Reply

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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

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How your brain changes in menopause, the impact of How your brain changes in menopause, the impact of HRT and lifestyle factors, the role of the blood-brain barrier, the best vegetables for cognitive health AND a delicious recipe…. 

……featuring @davinamccall @dr_mosconi #robertadiazbrinton #richardisaacson and many more…

… all on the blog - link in bio

#brainhealth #cognitivehealth #cognitivefunction #menopause #postmenopause #hrt #midlife #midlifewomen #midlifehealth #over50 #womenover50 #apoe4 #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #alzheimersprevention #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #theagewellproject #longevity #fitover50 #over50andfit #healthynutrition #healthyeating #plantbased #plantforward
We’re celebrating The Age-Well Project’s 3rd b We’re celebrating The Age-Well Project’s 3rd birthday this month! 🎈🎉🎈🥳🎈

We've got two copies of the paperback version (the smaller version - it's very cute) to give away here on Insta.

To win, make sure you follow us, tag a friend  in the comments below and if the Wheel of Names picks you out, you'll both win a copy.

Giveaway closes at midnight BST on Tuesday May 24th. Good luck!

#theagewellproject #giveaway #longevity #fitover50 #over50andfit #healthynutrition #healthyeating #postmenopause #agewell #over50 #womenover50 #friyay #fridayfeeling #ageingwell #agingwell #midlifewomen #midlifehealth #healthyliving  #midlife #ageingwell #agingwell #postmenopausalhealth #menopauseandbeyond #healthyliving #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram
Interested in how our ancestors cooked? Annabel wi Interested in how our ancestors cooked? Annabel will be talking about the food and cooks of Victorian England at @britishlibrary in London next Wednesday with the #BLFoodSeason founder @prussell777 … a few tickets still available! Book via British library food season website #agewell #eatwell #healthyeating #eatlikeyourancestors #foodhistory #culinaryhistory
Who should invest in a pair of walking (sometimes Who  should invest in a pair of walking (sometimes called trekking) poles?

Well, those of us  who enjoy hiking. Or those of us with lower back pain, obesity, Parkinson’s or general frailty.  Or those of us that want a more youthful gait. Or those of us that want to work all our muscles without going to a gym or messing around with weights. Or those of us that want our exertions to feel less … exerting! 

Sooooooo pretty much anyone who wants to age well! 

But which poles, and what do we do with them? It’s all on the blog - link in bio

#agewell #agingwell #ageingwell #longevity #healthyageing #healthyaging #lifespan #healthspan #nationalwalkingmonth #healthylifestyle #over50 #over50blogger #over50andfit #fitover50 #midlife #midlifehealth #midlifefitness #midlifewomen #postmenopause #menopausalhealth #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike #hiking #trekkinglovers #walkwithpoles #womenhikers #trekkinglife #hikingadventures #hikinguk
RIP Kane Tanaka, the world’s oldest living perso RIP Kane Tanaka, the world’s oldest living person who died last week aged 119. She spent her last years playing the strategy board game, Othello, apparently. Asked for the happiest moment in her life, she replied ´Now’. She has been ‘replaced’ as the oldest person alive by a French nun who is currently 118 and survived catching Covid last year. Asked if Covid had frightened her, she replied ´no… because I wasn’t afraid to die.’ Draw your own conclusions (if you want to)!

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