The 5 Signs Ageing Experts Use To Rate Your Odds Of A Healthy, Long Life

Healthy ageing is a contested term, a 2023 paper reads – some believe it’s an absence of disease or disability, while others think it’s learning to live well with existing conditions.The World Health Organisation (WHO), however, has defined it as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age”. To measure this, Take Five to Age Well, a project co-created by The Open University and Age UK, aims to give people simple, practical advice around how to age well.The project, which hopes to encourage older people to make one or more healthy changes for 30 days to improve their health, launched in May this year.The five science-backed points they hope users focus on are:1. Eating well “Having a varied and nutritious diet is essential for our health. As we age, it can become even more important,” the page reads. The British Dietetic Association says people over 65 should focus on eating more protein, calcium, folate and vitamin B12-rich foods.A 2025 paper found that a diet rich in fruits and veggies was linked to a higher likelihood of healthy ageing, and 2023 research suggested eating well throughout our lives could land us 10 extra years of life.2. Stay hydrated and skip the booze where possible The project urged people to bring a water bottle with them when going outside, as well as staying hydrated in general and sticking to the NHS-recommended guidelines of alcohol consumption (no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis for both men and women). Reduced alcohol intake has been linked to a lower risk of developing dementia, while moderate drinkers (no more than one drink a day) were shown to have the lowest all-cause mortality in a 2022 study.Meanwhile, a 2023 paper found that “proper hydration may slow down ageing and prolong a disease-free life”.3. Exercise Whether you want to take two short walks a day, opt for three short bursts of strength training on the daily, or do a couple of minutes of stretching for every hour of sitting, the Take Five To Age Well project wants you to move more. A 2012 review of literature found that “all-cause mortality is decreased by about 30% to 35% in [those who are] physically active as compared to inactive subjects”, while those in the former camp could see as many as 6.9 extra years of life. The NHS recommends 75 minutes of intense activity or 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, though their advice for those aged 65 or over also suggests speaking to your doctor first if you haven’t exercised for some time.4. Connect with loved ones Be it through a call, hobby, or a neighbourhood activity, socialising every day, if possible, is encouraged by the project. There seems to be good reason for this: quality relationships have been linked to a better lifespan, while social isolation may increase dementia risk by as much as 60%. 5. Keep your brain sharp Reading has been associated with decreased dementia risk, as has playing games like chess, cards and crosswords.And in his book How To Prevent Dementia, neurologist Dr Richard Restak shared that learning more throughout life can build up something called “cognitive reserve,” which might give you more ballast against dementia ― just as a high muscle mass may help to give you more defences against the side effects of chemotherapy.That may be why the Take Five To Age Well project encourages learning something new, getting creative, playing puzzles, or writing a diary/You can find more details on the project here.Related...This Reptile May Hold The Secret To Cancer Resistance And 'Healthy Ageing', Scientists FindIs Forgetting The Odd Word Normal Ageing Or A Sign Of Dementia?Your Postcode Is Ageing You: New Report Exposes North-South Longevity Gap

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