Over the last few decades, life expectancy in the developed world has been steadily increasing, while healthy life expectancy has been decreasing. That means that we might expect to live longer but we are more likely to develop some sort of disease or condition that impacts our quality of life. But with a little thoughtful care and attention to our daily habits, it might just be possible to add years to our life and life to our years

A 100th birthday is a cause for celebration – time for a big cake and crazy party hats. A few weeks ago, in the middle of the coronavirus lockdown, a man living in a local residential home was celebrating his 100th birthday and was asked what his secret was. He replied: “Avoid vegetables!”

At this time of year, and especially under lockdown, many of us have been turning to food and gardening for solace and sanity. I am writing today’s blog in the sunshine in my back garden, so I thought it was appropriate to explore this idea a little with you.

This week, a former contestant on The Apprentice was pulled up by the Advertising Standards Agency for making claims that his product was a “cure for coronavirus”.

Each week we learn more about Covid-19 and the devastating effects it is having on the world. From the data that have been published to date, there seems to be some patterns emerging that tell us more about who is most likely to be admitted to hospital with severe symptoms of Covid-19, and some of that has been surprising.