How to slow ageing: nine quick tips from America's longevity expert

The vast majority of premature death and disability is preventable,” says Michael Greger bluntly, over Zoom from his treadmill desk. “We have tremendous power over our health, destiny and longevity.” The American doctor and author and his team of 19 have spent three years wading through more than 20,000 research papers, unearthing hundreds of surprising diet and lifestyle tips for a new book, How Not to Age.

Who knew, for example, that a teaspoon of ground lettuce seeds could be a sleep aid? They contain the hypnotic lactucin, a substance with sedative properties. Or that mushrooms can help stave off an unpleasant whiff that comes with ageing? “There’s this distinctive body odour of the elderly due to a chemical we start producing as early