As an academic her PhD, MSc, MBA, PG Cert and BA (Hons) studies and research all examined various aspects of neuroscience and psychology. She began her professional career as a Sport & Exercise Psychologist and Physiologist in the early 1990s, working with Olympic squads. The piece of advice that really resonated with me was to make one lifestyle change at a time, and not to attempt to incorporate them all at once. I thought I would struggle with the concept of consuming 30 different plants per week. then I sat down and made a list of all those I like It came to 38 fruits and vegetables. 30 pans out at only 4.5 per day... fewer than the recommended 5-a-day. I'm already doing it. I already walk as much as I can. I just need to try walking uphill. The breathwork, meditation, gratitude, cold showers and the rest will take a bit more work. But as I keep reminding myself, one change at a time. So big is the buzz around this newly emerging area, that Dr Jones offers an eight-week program to embed the lifestyle changes she promotes; several thousand have completed it online, many as part of corporate sign-ups. Her Glycan Age score is 51, very close to her actual age of 52. Middle-aged women often have high scores, she says, because of menopause (inflammation can increase due to the decline in oestrogen). It’s why she’s desperate for women in their 40s and 50s to get on top of their daily habits as early as possible. “Many women I test in their early 50s come out in their mid-60s unless they’re on HRT, so as someone who’s combating declining oestrogen I’m pretty happy with a score of 51.”

Why would someone who’s physically fit come out with such poor readings? “We’ve put so much emphasis on cardiovascular fitness in the past few decades,” Jones says. She was a sports and exercise scientist in the Nineties and helped to launch a chain of gyms, so advocated exactly that. “But fitness and wellness are not the same thing. You can be fit but not well, as measured by what state your cells are in.”Scientists have discovered pathways in our cells that help to suppress that inflammation and can slow the ageing process. The key players — or the ones we know about so far — associated with those pathways are the enzymes AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), and sirtuins; proteins that play vital roles in cell repair and cell metabolism. “They’re like the house- keepers who help the epigenome maintain its function — cleaning the cells of waste products, and making sure there’s no damage,” Jones says.

Incidentally, pets are very good for the gut microbiome too, because you’re exposed to extra bacteria.”Oxytocin is now thought to be one of the most powerful longevity chemicals and you get that from being among friends, being in a loving relationship and spending time with your pets,” she says. “When dogs and their humans gaze into each other’s eyes the oxytocin levels in both parties can rise significantly. Oxytocin has a calming effect and can reduce feelings of fear, loneliness and anxiety and the underlying chronic release of harmful stress chemicals.” Gratitude is an easy way to boost positive brain chemicals and produce a calming effect, activating the parasympathetic nervous system — the rest and repair branch of our autonomic nervous system that stems the release of stress chemicals,” Jones says. “I sit with my dog Charlie for my first coffee of the day and list the good things in my life. Some people worry they have to come up with a different list every day but it doesn’t really matter what you’re being grateful for. As long as you’re doing it intentionally and not running through in your head all the things you need to do when you get to the office, it still has that benefit.” Partial to an evening glass of wine or G&T? Jones suggests having it a minimum of three hours before bed. This is to preserve and improve the quality of sleep, a key to longevity. Julia has been studying health and wellness for 30 years. As an academic her PhD, MSc, MBA, PG Cert and BA (Hons.) studies and research all examined various aspects of neuroscience and psychology. She began her professional career as a Sport & Exercise Psychologist and Physiologist in the early 1990s, working with Olympic squads and still works with professional sports performers today.