Issue #5 - Is Organic Really Better & Slowing Cognitive Decline

Welcome to Weekly.health’s fifth issue. Every week, we explore cutting-edge research, actionable advice, and science-backed nutrition insights to help you live longer and healthier.

Our aim is to help you live another 10 healthy years and cut your risk of age-related disease.

🗒️ In This Issue:

• 🔢 Weekly.health in numbers

• 🔬 Longevity Spotlight: Slowing cognitive decline

• 📈 Research Digest: What’s new in nutrition science

• 🍏 Is Organic Really Better?

• ❤️ Support Weekly.health: Help us keep the research flowing

• 📘 Glossary of Terms: Definitions for technical terms in this issue

🔢 Weekly.health in numbers - a reminder

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The benefit to your health, we think, is worth a lot more.

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🔬 Longevity Spotlight: Slowing Cognitive Decline

A side effect of our increasing life expectancy as a species is the increased risk of illness, frailty, and cognitive decline as we age. With cognitive decline in those aged 65-85 increasing from 15.5% to almost 27% over six years in one study (source), we're ever more interested in interventions to slow, delay, or reverse this process. Longevity is nothing without good health, so this week we reviewed two studies looking at one aspect of healthspan - cognitive decline;

• Keep your mind active to slow cognitive decline: A review of 59 fMRI studies looked at how our brains stay active as we age. Staying mentally active through education, complex thought-work, and social and leisure, all boosts ‘cognitive reserve’. These activities reduce the effort your brain needs to perform, even in cases of early Alzheimer’s. Keep learning, engaging socially, and challenging your mind to delay or blunt cognitive decline. (source)

  • Learn a language, craft, or other skill

  • Meet friends regularly and meet people to stay socially active

  • Play chess, sudoku, brain-training, puzzles, and other strategic games to keep your mind flexible and active

• Curcumin, from turmeric, may slow ageing of the brain: 
  This systematic review found that the active compound in turmeric may promote various elements of health, including reduced inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Benefits were found in cases of cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, and sarcopenia, showing preserved memory, brain function, and muscle strength. Statistically significant improvements in memory and attention were found. Most studies used 180-2000 mg of curcumin daily, with larger dosages appearing more effective in many cases. 500-1000mg daily, with piperine or other bioavailability enhancers, seems most consistently effective. (source)

  • We use the longvida formulation, which is among the best-supported options currently available in human studies.
    Here’s what we recommend: USA link. UK link.

👉 Curcumin has very poor bioavailability, so formulations that are purported to increase this are widely available. A simple blend of curcumin and piperine, an extract of black pepper, is said to increase bioavailability by 20x. Ginger and other spices have also been shown to improve this. We use Longvida, which is said to increase bioavailability by 285x, and currently the best option we have seen.

📈 Research Digest: What’s New in Nutrition Science

Here’s the best of recent nutrition research:

♾️ “Forever Chemicals” Alter Babies’ DNA
This review highlights how prenatal exposure to PFAS (synthetic "forever chemicals" found in everything from non-stick pans to firefighting foams) can alter babies’ DNA methylation and histone regulation, potentially raising the risk of obesity, diabetes, and developmental disorders later in life. Different PFAS types affect different genes, and impacts may differ between boys and girls. Reduce PFAS exposure during pregnancy by steering clear of non-stick cookware (such as Teflon), stain-resistant treatments for carpets and fabrics, and grease-proof packaging such as fast-food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags. (source)

🧂 DASH Diet Lowers Blood Pressure
A review of 11 clinical trials found that eating more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy - the DASH diet- adding soy protein, and including nitrate-rich greens like rocket or spinach, can significantly lower blood pressure. Reducing salt also remains crucial. These foods don’t just lower BP directly - they also trigger beneficial changes in your body’s metabolism, helping control blood pressure more effectively over time. (source)

🍴 Ketogenic and Alternate-day Fasting Diets Excel in Weight Loss
In this 3-month trial of 160 adults with obesity, a ketogenic diet (KD), modified alternate-day fasting (mADF), and late time-restricted eating (lTRE: 2–10 p.m. meals) led to more weight loss than a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet. On average, KD and mADF participants lost around 12 kg, while the MedDiet group lost 8.4 kg. Early time-restricted eating (8 a.m.–4 p.m.) was less effective. Our takeaway from this study is that while the Mediterranean diet is typically associated with significant improvements in health biomarkers, it is not strictly a weight-loss diet. KD or mADF may support faster initial weight loss, after which transitioning to a Mediterranean-style diet could help maintain results and support long-term health. (source)

🍏 Is Organic Really Better?

You might know that organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, antibiotics, or growth hormones, and you might assume that they're healthier and more nutritious.

But is organic really better for your health, or is it just another marketing ploy?

Here, we explore clinical evidence to provide you with the full picture, so you can make an informed choice between the 20p and the 70p banana.

🥗 Nutritional Value

Overall, studies show minimal differences in protein, carbohydrate, fat, and fibre between organic and regular produce. At the same time, levels of omega-3 fatty acids in animal products tend to be higher in organic sources, and organic foods tend to contain lower levels of toxic metabolites (source).

Organic crops have also been shown to have higher concentrations of certain antioxidants, such as polyphenols (increased consumption of polyphenols being shown to lower the risk of death from all causes by 7% - source). One Cambridge analysis of more than 340 studies showed organic fruits, vegetables, and cereals contained up to 69% more polyphenols than conventional crops, and almost 50% less heavy metal contamination (source).

The same Cambridge analysis showed that, in animal products, organic dairy and meats contained around 50% more of the beneficial omega-3 fats, likely due to the improved diet fed to livestock.

The caveat with these studies is that further investigation is needed before we can say that these differences are associated with changes in health outcomes. As covered above, we can look at other studies for further insight, such as polyphenol consumption reducing all-cause mortality.

🏭 Pesticide Exposure

Following an organic diet has been shown to reduce exposure to agricultural pesticides. After following an organic diet for under one week, families had a drop of up to 95% of pesticide compounds in their urine (source).

Reducing pesticide exposure has been linked to reduced risks of neurotoxicity, hormonal effects, and birth defects, while also higher sperm concentrations in men and higher odds of achieving pregnancy and live birth for women (source).

♋ Cancer Risk and Confounding Factors

A study of more than 68,000 participants showed an inverse relationship between organic food consumption and cancer risk. Those who ate the most organic food, compared to those who ate little to no organic foods, had about a 25% lower overall risk of developing cancer. In particular, a reduced risk of post-menopausal breast cancer was associated with those who consumed the most organic foods. (source)

The caveat with findings like this is that those consuming the most organic foods may also lead healthier lifestyles overall. They may consume more fruits and vegetables, have higher income, and spend more on healthy supplies, and they may smoke less and exercise more.

While organic foods may be associated with a reduced risk of cancer, they could be just one of many factors contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

🥝 Key Takeaways on Organic Food

• Organic foods may offer small differences in certain macronutrients, but, particularly in animal products, substantial improvements in fatty acid profiles and certain micronutrients. These changes may be associated with improvements in health.

• Switching from non-organic to organic produce can significantly reduce your exposure to synthetic pesticides. This again may be associated with health benefits.

• While organic foods may be associated with a 25% lower risk of cancer, other healthy lifestyle choices may confound these results. We cannot expect switching from non-organic to organic foods to have any particular outcome, but the evidence appears to be positively associated.

• Regardless of whether they are organic or not, consuming more fruits and vegetables is one of the best things you can do for your health. If the choice is between eating non-organic produce or none at all, we would choose the non-organic produce.

Want to eat better and shop smarter? These online retailers make it easy to stock up on organic fruit, veg, and more.

❎ Can’t Go Organic?

If you can’t switch to organic foods for any reason, there are alternative options that may still limit your exposure to pesticide residues on non-organic produce.

• Wash thoroughly under running water

  • Use cold or lukewarm water for at least 30 seconds.

  • Rubbing the surface (even gently) helps remove more residue.

  • There is no need to use vinegar, bicarbonate, or anything else, as simply using fresh water is more effective (source)

• Trim outer leaves of leafy veggies

  • For lettuce, cabbage, and similar vegetables, discard the outer leaves where residues may concentrate.

• Cook when appropriate

  • Boiling, steaming, and blanching can reduce certain water-soluble pesticide residues, especially in root vegetables and leafy greens.

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🙏 Thanks for Reading!

That’s the end of this issue of Weekly.health. We hope you learned something useful to help you on your nutritional journey.

This newsletter is written by a small, independent team, led by James — who’s been following nutrition science for nearly 20 years and is now working towards a formal, industry-recognised qualification.

We’re based in England, so if you’re over the pond, you might notice a few strange spellings.

Our goal is to make cutting-edge, evidence-based nutrition advice simple, useful, and genuinely applicable to everyday life.

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See you next week!

📖 Glossary of Terms in This Issue (Alphabetical Order)

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