Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 18 i Gathered

High blood pressure, known medically as hypertension, effects around 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years old worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It is a major cause of premature deaths globally and yet it’s estimated that only 46% of those with hypertension are diagnosed and treated. Heath care professionals in the UK have revealed they are seeing a rise in cases of hypertension in the under 50s and the concern is that that the condition rarely exhibits symptoms – so you won’t know you’re at risk without getting a measurement. As well as avoiding life threatening heart attacks, there are many other benefits to lowering your blood pressure. A recent study has shown that lowering your blood pressure may cut your risk of dementia by 15%. It can improve…

'How do I stop looking older?' It’s one of the most common questions I hear as a longevity coach. While ageing well is about much more than appearance, the visible signs of ageing can carry a heavy emotional weight. Wrinkles, thinning hair, brittle nails: these changes often feel like an unwelcome fast-forward button on life. But here’s the good news. While you can’t stop time, you can absolutely slow down how it shows up on your face, your hairline, and your hands. And it doesn’t require expensive serums or invasive treatments. It starts from within. Your skin, hair, and nails are among the body’s fastest-renewing tissues. When they begin to lose their glow, strength, or thickness, it often reflects deeper biological ageing processes happening beneath the surface like oxidative stress,…

Most of our days are broken up with three meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, the hidden hero of our busy, working lives has to be the humble snack. The perfect grab-and-go option, favoured by parents, workers, students, and more, snacks play an integral role in our lifestyles and diets. A study by Glanbia Nutritionals found ‘UK consumers eat a savoury snack most days of the week (5.6 times per week), compared to sweet packaged snacks, which are consumed almost every day (6.2 times per week).’ Despite our love for a quick munch, the narrative surrounding snacking is largely negative. Full of myths and fearmongering, diet culture often makes us believe snacking is the sole cause of weight gain, which couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve asked nutritionists and…

There’s a reason we call them man’s best friend. Our fluffy companions aren’t just adorable pals; they might be making us live longer too. One major study found that dog ownership was associated with a 24% reduction in mortality, with even greater benefits seen in people who lived alone. So, what’s the science behind this? And can simply owning a dog really help you live longer? While this study is observational and can’t prove direct cause and effect, it does show a strong correlation between dog ownership and a longer life. The reason isn’t entirely clear, but it’s likely down to a mix of factors. Owning a dog gets you out of the house and moving, which means more daily exercise. You’re also more likely to meet and chat with…

According to Taylor Swift, ‘Happiness and confidence are the prettiest things you can wear’, and if they were for sale in a boutique down the road, it’s true to say many of us would be clambering over each other to grab those hangers. Because if we’re being honest, who hasn’t had even the mildest tinge of self-doubt, whether it’s come in the shape of a party where you only know the host or a work presentation where you can’t shake that feeling of imposter syndrome, and that any minute you will be ‘found out’? And it doesn’t matter what other people tell you about how fabulous you are, how much their admiration and compliments boost your selfesteem, how many dates you get asked out on or how you fearlessly say…

Every week there’s a new viral health trend, but this time, it’s actually worth getting excited about the latest must-try daily boost. Creatine is a nutritional supplement that can improve exercise performance and promote muscle growth – but there are also other significant health benefits, which is why it isn’t just athletes or gym goers who are rushing to add creatine to their routine. With science suggesting it can boost brainpower, increase energy levels and even have a positive effect on women going through the menopause, the interest in this organic secret weapon is gaining some serious traction. Creatine is one of the most widely researched natural supplements out there, due to its fat-free ability to build muscle and strength which is beneficial to the sports industry. But what is…

Three for two, buy one get one free, vouchers if you spend a certain amount – there are so many tempting offers from supermarkets today it’s hard to keep track. But while they might appear to be good offers, big business doesn’t do this out of the kindness of its heart – it’s to make you spend MORE, not less. In fact, there are many ways supermarkets trick us into spending more than we’d intended to, ranging from where they place products, even down to the lighting and music in store. Dan Evans, consumer and savings expert at hotukdeals.com says: ‘Firstly, there’s a saying that ‘eye level is buy level’, so they tend to put items that they want you to buy – i.e. high margin items – at eye…