‘I’m gonna live for ever!’ The day I learned the secrets of ‘extreme ageing’

It turned out that, despite the name, Dr Sandra Kaufmann isn’t what the Americans call MOT (member of tribe) as I’d assumed, though apparently her children have attended a Jewish day school in Miami where they live. I’m not sure that counts. Her self-named Protocol is based on the consumption of multiple supplements several times daily. I noticed that her face showed few signs of ageing, which may or may not be due to the effectiveness of her regime.

A fair number of the presenters were plugging apps or supplements – some of which seemed to have rather more convincing science behind them than others. But the most engaging speaker by a country mile was selling only a book and website. Sir Muir Gray (OK, he’s not Jewish, but his wife is – result!), knighted for services to the NHS where he set up all the screening programmes, is the author of Sod Seventy! subtitled The Guide to Living Well.

Sir Muir’s approach is based on spreading knowledge about the key role that exercise for body, brain and emotions plays in healthy ageing, as well as sensible use of the NHS. He wore a red tie and matching trainers, and at over 80 exuded the kind of mischievous energy usually seen in somebody half his age. To mis-quote When Harry Met Sally, I’ll have what he’s having.

I was developing supplement fatigue by the time I bumped into Dr Evie Kemp and her husband Simon Fineman outside the main lecture hall, where they were promoting their freeze-dried Haskap berry powder. Back to that later, but more importantly they are members of Oxford Jewish Congregation, met at Habonim and spend eight months of every year in Israel.

Far from being a crank, Evie is a qualified medical doctor and former occupational medicine consultant. With her professional hat on she was hugely enthusiastic about the summit. “Two-thirds of chronic diseases that are not infectious are caused by lifestyle,” she said. “We have so much work to do to help people, to educate and empower them to take their own health and wellbeing into their own hands, and to teach them to do all the things that they need to do to stop getting ill in in the future.”

The six pillars of lifestyle medicine, says Dr Kemp, are exercise, sleep, social contact, stress management and avoiding risky substances such as alcohol and tobacco. And right at the top of the list is, of course, nutrition, which brings us back to Haskapa, the name under which her berry powder is sold. Simon has given up his day job to focus on the wonder product, which is partly grown at their own farm in Nova Scotia as it needs a cold climate. Known in Japan as the “berry of long life” in the traditional medicine of the Ainu people, it is claimed to be high in anthocyanins, which are both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory, with brain and heart- protective properties.

Clinical studies on the product do meet the controlled, peer- reviewed gold standard, albeit on a very small scale – up to 30 participants. One published in the journal Nutrients showed that men running 5,000 saw 21 seconds in improvement in their times over a week when they consumed two teaspoons a day of Haskapa in yoghurt. If you are a runner, you’ll know that’s quite impressive. Though at £18 for 100g it isn’t cheap, as a 60-something fitness enthusiast I’m tempted by this supplement. As a cynical journalist I really couldn’t honestly say whether it is better than any similar product on the market. It tastes nice and probably won’t do you any harm, but if the rest of your diet consists of ultra-high processed food and takeaways, then it won’t be the elixir of eternal life.

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LAUGHTER IS THE BEST…

l Back in London, I caught up with Ros Ben-Moshe whose second book, The Laughter Effect, was published here in March. It’s already been doing steady business in the United States and in Australia where she lives in Melbourne, and is being translated into eight other languages.

It’s about the practice of Laughter Yoga, in which a group simulates laughter, along with clapping and breathing exercises, the aim being to stimulate a feel-good effect. It’s a “fake it till you make it” concept, that the mind follows where the body leads. As Ros writes, “Our brain believes the laughter is real.”

Laughter therapy has been around for decades, and, as it happens, one of foundational figures, Norman Cousins, was Jewish. Though sceptics (like me!) may struggle to keep a straight face about the idea of people sitting around in a room going “ha ha hee hee”, the claims for the practice need to be taken seriously. In particular, the idea that the laughter releases endorphins and “happy” hormones such as dopamine and serotonin while suppressing stress hormones such as cortisol.

In her book, Ros makes the case that what she calls “intentional laughter practices” can raise your mood, reduce pain, lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system and ease depression. Though she quotes various studies proving the benefits, a review a few years ago suggested that while things looked positive, the evidence wasn’t of the strongest quality and more research is needed. But let’s not rush to dismiss it too quickly. If Laughter Yoga does work, then it’s not just life-enhancing but is a totally non-invasive, non-pharmalogical treatment for depression without any obvious side effects. That’s something that could save the NHS tens of millions and improve many, many lives.

Ros was surprised and delighted by the book’s international appeal, which, she says, shows “a widespread desire not only for more laughter and levity, but also innovative practical strategies to turbocharge overall joy and positivity”. And she adds, with a grin: “After all, Mindfulness is so yesterday!”