The holy grail of healthy ageing

One of the interesting advantages of my work on healthy ageing in Geneva is that I learn how to live longer. I am now reading an interesting book on the 10 secrets of healthy ageing: “Live longer, look younger and feel great” by Patrick Holford and Jerome Burne. Holford is CEO of the British Food for Brain Foundation and expert in nutrition therapy. Burne is a health journalist and expert on adverse effects of medicines.

I usually donot recommend books and I must be extra careful working for WHO now (so once and for all blogs, I am not a real expert, these are just personal thoughts and certainly not WHO guidelines). However, the more I read the more I feel that there are some valuable and even doable lessons on how to age better. Ageing is a bit like raising kids. It just happens to you but nobody learns you how to do it properly.

The interesting aspect of this book is that the authors start as much as possible from scientific evidence, but also use common sense. It is definitely not alternative medicine, but they recognise and show convincingly that there are many perverse incentives in prescribing medicines and modern medicine. It is indeed insane that old people sometimes have to use multiple prescription drugs with often more adverse than beneficial effects. So how to avoid that and avoid old age illnesses as much as possible from the very beginning?

The book starts by how to check your biological age. You can do that in a simple way by checking your BMI, blood pressure, pulse and waist/hip ratio. But they have also included more advance tests including some blood tests. They then address the ten secrets of healthy ageing, or rather 9 ways of addressing most common issues for old people: Alzheimer, joints & bones, diabetes, stress, skin issues, cancer, high blood pressure, digestive problems, eyesight and one for discovering the natural anti-ageing hormones that perk us up. Based on all this information you can develop your own anti ageing action plan.

Despite all these issues and illnesses addressed, there are basically just a few main recommendations in the book. Easier to remember: it is all about the FIELDS of ageing.

F: for Food. Most of us know or feel that food and ageing are interrelated. And indeed, there is something like an anti-ageing diet. Some of it is well known (not much fat and sugar) but they go much deeper in the book. They introduce the glycemic index of food, telling whether the carbohydrates are fast or slow releasing. And of course the antioxidant rich foods (chocolate and carrots) and food with omega-3 fats such as oily fish and seeds are good for you as well.

There are many things that at least I did not yet know. The Geneva diet: coffee with croissant is a deadly combination as far as blood sugar is concerned. I also didn't know that eating little and often is better than three big meals a day. And that muesli bars are deceptively unhealthy, with refined sugar and fat.

I for extra Intake: as you get older, the case for taking nutritional supplements on a regular basis gets stronger, as nutrients from food are less well absorbed later in life. And with less physical activity you also eat less (so you get even less nutrients). I must admit that I was always very reluctant to take extra vitamins, as they are expensive and I had the feeling that it was more profitable for industry than for my health. But after reading this chapter I partly changed my mind. They warn against too high doses but in general, they state, it is wise to have extra multivitamins, Vitamin C with zinc, omega-3 and 6, and antioxidants plus some additional stuff depending on specific diseases that you may already have. That sounds like a lot and maybe it is. But the main point is that when you get older, you can't get all the necessary nutrients from food anymore – even with the best diet – and you better have some additional Intake.

E for Exercise. As the authors state, modern life is one big conspiracy against physical activity. If governments wanted to do just one thing that would have a major impact on obesity, heart disease, stress and dementia, it would be to get everyone on a regular exercise programme. Exercise is the closest thing to an anti-ageing pill. It makes you less hungry, it boosts your metabolic rate (how fast you burn food), increases your hormone production and so on.

L for Liquids. Most of discussions are about alcohol, but that is not so important. Too much is harmful and one glas of good quality red wine is probably beneficial. Also sugary drinks are clearly wrong, including sugared coffee and tea. But the key issue is water. Start drinking a glass when getting up, with each meal, with each coffee and with each glass of alcohol. Our bodies consist of 85% water so you need it (I mean the water and not the alcohol). 8 glasses of water or herbal tea a day keeps your body in better shape.

D for Drugs, Do not take too many medicines. Medicines can be very useful and sometimes indispensable. One of the authors mentions that both his wife and his kids would be probably dead if they would not have had anti-biotics. But they also quite convincingly argue that medicines do not work that well in elderly patients, that side effects are often underestimated for this group and that side effects often lead to a chain effect (medicines prescribed to address side effects of other medicines). There are many examples in the book of diabetes drugs that raise the risk of heart disease, ineffective prescribing of anti psychotic medication to deal with dementia and the doubtful benefits of the use of statins to people without any heart disease. In a sense many pharmaceuticals follow the agrochemical approach that knocks out weeds and bugs with pesticides or of the preventive use of antibiotics in meat production. That is often not necessary as biological farming shows. Similarly, many drugs are not necessary when you adjust your lifestyle.

S for Stress, feel fine, avoid stress, sleep well and develop a healthy mind style. One useful recommendation is to have a notebook near your bed and write down anything you want to deal with tomorrow. That helps you to let it go during the night. Happy and flexible people live longer. And the worst emotion for longevity is not depression or stress – it's cynicism.

So don't be cynical after reading my blog or you will die earlier. It is so easy: eat well, drink well, sleep well, exercise well and well, take some vitamins and less drugs when you get older. The only thing is that I have to start doing it myself as well.