Ageing is an inevitable part of life. But that has done nothing to quell the interest in longevity in the health and wellness space, particularly in recent years. Fears been heightened after a new study, published in Nature Medicine, found that people currently in their fifties appeared to be ageing faster than the previous generation: a 23 per cent faster rate of biological ageing as younger adults compared with those currently in their seventies.
But while expensive fads such as complicated supplements or extremes like “blood-cleaning” might promise exceptional results, you do not have to waste your money to improve your chances of a long, healthy life. Instead, there are several easy habits you can build into your day-to-day.
Add in fermented foods
One of the many ways we can shape our ageing is through our diet. While the impulse may be to focus on what you need to eat less of (ultra-processed foods, items high in salt, sugar and fat and so on), what you add to your diet is just as important.
As Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology at King’s College London and founder of the health app ZOE, says: “Most people wouldn’t have thought of fermented foods as a health food and would be focused on what the government’s telling you: that they’re full of saturated fat or they’ve got too much salt. But they are so good for your gut and it’s worth experimenting by adding them in, ideally three fermented foods a day.”
Specifically, as this 2025 study explains, there is evidence they can slow down ageing by gradually reducing oxidative stress, reducing inflammation and directly supporting your gut microbiome. So add in foods such as kefir, yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso and sourdough when you have the chance – and look for products with “live and active cultures”.
Load up on fibre
By the same token, a diet high in fibre is crucial for feeding the microbiome. “There’s a tendency to instantly think of expensive IV drips and elite supplements when longevity is mentioned, but fibre is actually proven to balance blood sugar, help manage cholesterol, support healthy weight and even reduce the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers,” says nutritionist and author Emma Bardwell, who has just published a bible on the topic, The Fibre Effect.”
“The vast majority of us simply don’t eat enough fibre,” explains Dr Will Bulsiewicz. “For me, the microbiome provides a new motivation to eat like this – I have these bacteria inside of me. They’re hungry. They need to be fed, and when they are fed, they will help me. It’s a pretty simple proposition.”
Foods high in fibre include whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.
Ditch sugar-sweetened drinks/snacks
While fermented and fibrous foods reduce your risk of life-shortening conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity, foods high in added sugar (particularly those without other nutritional benefits) can increase your risk.
Sugary drinks are not only linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, weight gain and tooth decay. Studies also suggest that consumption may reduce fertility in men and women and raise the risk of developing any kind of cancer. “It’s easy to drink more sugar than we realise because drinks aren’t as filling as food and often don’t register as being unhealthy in the way that, say, a cream cake would,” says nutritionist Laura Southern, founder of London Food Therapy.
While a radical diet overhaul is not likely to stick, smaller changes like reducing or cutting your liquid intake of sugar are much more achievable.
Invest in good-quality olive oil
Plants are a great source of naturally occurring micronutrients and antioxidants that reduce the oxidative stress that exacerbates ageing. This is why Dr Megan Rossi, dietitian and founder of The Gut Health Doctor, invests in food.
“For general gut health, I prefer to spend money on good-quality food rather than supplements. One area where I have invested is in extra virgin olive oil. I don’t have a specific brand but look for ones that fit my criteria – which I posted here – and will usually cost over £2 per 100ml.
“Good quality extra virgin olive oil is expensive because of the manufacturing, the growing, the processing. The science has suggested that cheap olive oil won’t have as many polyphenols in it, which is one of the reasons why extra virgin has been associated with so many better health outcomes: better mental health, heart health, lower risk of type two diabetes etc.”
Other foods rich in polyphenols that are worth investing in include dark cocoa products, berries, nuts, green tea and, yes, coffee.
Drink coffee, but never after 1.15pm
“Caffeine has recently been shown in studies to be neuroprotective – we already knew this but this new study really shows it. So I drink caffeine but I have a strict cut-off of 1.15pm,” says neurologist Dr Faye Begeti.
“Even if you can fall asleep straight after drinking coffee, that’s because you are sleep-deprived. And if you fall asleep with caffeine in your system, it reduces your sleep efficiency by seven per cent. It reduces your deep sleep in particular, which is where misfolded proteins are removed.
“The reason that people get dementia is because you have abnormal proteins that build up and damage regions of the brain. And a critical function of sleep is that those misfolded proteins are removed from the brain.”
Get up at the same time every day
There are other key ways to protect your sleep. The most crucial is to reduce drinking (which disrupts your sleep quality, affecting how well your brain can remove those misfolded proteins that damage the brain) and to develop a consistent sleep and wake time.
A Finland-based study, published in the journal BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, found that irregular bedtimes increase the risk of cardiovascular issues such as heart attack and stroke. The risk was even higher in people who also slept fewer than eight hours.
“The ripple effect is huge,” says psychotherapist Heather Darwall-Smith. “When you get up at the same time every day, you’re anchoring your cortisol peak, which in turn helps to stabilise your melatonin production in the evening. You don’t need to be militant, just fairly consistent.”
Get your hearing tested
Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK. It is not an inevitable part of ageing but is caused by diseases affecting the brain. Thankfully, there are ways of reducing your risk. A key but often under-reported step, explains Professor John Tregoning, author of Live Forever?, is to check in on your hearing.
“Hearing aids have a clear protective effect around dementia. If you’re at the beginning of hearing loss you should get hearing aids early. There is a cycle that begins where you become disconnected from people and that can then have knock-on effects on loneliness and the way you perceive the world around you.”
Talk to strangers
Taking care of the social and psychological aspects of life is just as important for a long, healthy life as focusing on your physical health. “Social isolation is worse for you than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, continues Tregoning. “So social connectivity is key.”
“Research has shown that people with strong social support networks have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes,” explains Dr Ian K Smith, author of Eat Your Age. “These social connections have even been linked to decreased levels of inflammation in the body and improved immune function, which can help slow the ageing process. Find your community, take your mind off the stressors in life and enjoy a sense of belonging and purpose.”
So socialise whenever you can: whether that’s a casual conversation with someone queuing for a coffee or prioritising eating meals together – even if they’re technically less healthy.
Quit smoking
Tregoning acknowledges that the message “quit smoking” is not new or exciting, but it is one of the best things you can do for your health – no matter how long you’ve smoked. It will restore cell health, preserve brain function, and reverse visible skin damage, all while reducing the risk of life-threatening chronic illnesses.
“From all the research I’ve read, there are four key tenets for a healthy life: don’t smoke, eat healthily, don’t drink, do exercise. People want to hear something new and shiny and easy. Good health, annoyingly, is not shiny and easy.”
Lift, and lift heavy
From 30 onwards, we start to lose muscle mass and bone density, exacerbated by hormone changes, particularly from forties onwards. But strength training can counter all of these changes. “Resistance training defies the ageing process by creating lean muscle mass,” says personal trainer Holly Davidson, who describes it as a “must” in midlife.
A study from the University of British Columbia of 3,600 men and women over the age of 50 found those with more muscle mass were at a lower risk of death from all major causes, leading the researchers to conclude it’s one of the best indicators of longevity. “By maintaining muscle mass, you can reduce your risk of chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and heart conditions,” says study author Dr Teresa Liu-Ambrose.
But that doesn’t mean that cardio exercise doesn’t also play a crucial role in maintaining your heart health.
Take the stairs
When we engage in cardio (whether that’s the more gentle forms of walking, slow swimming or gardening, or more intense running or cycling), we are strengthening our hearts by making them pump harder, lowering our resting heart rate and improving our blood pressure. Professor Norman Lazarus, a 90-year-old expert in human ageing, still exercises daily as part of his regimen.
“I’ve always been physically active, but when I was about 50 I decided that I had to be serious about it. Crucially, I chose an exercise I loved – cycling. I didn’t say I’m going to go to the gym to jump 100 times because I knew that would bore me, and so I’d stop.”
Take up a stress-relieving practice like yoga
Taking control of stress is a piece of advice both obvious and frustrating – nobody chooses to be stressed – but finding ways to manage it is also key to slowing ageing.
A recent study has found that having someone within your network who causes you stress – described as a “hassler” – can add roughly nine months of extra biological age and cause cells to age about 1.5 per cent faster per year.
For this reason, immunologist Dr Jenna Macciochi says that practices such as meditation are fundamental: “As someone who’s a hardcore, evidence-based scientist, I now practice meditation and have trained as a meditation teacher. Regular meditation can significantly reduce markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), and downregulate pro-inflammatory cytokines.”
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