Light and appetite – and running for Amnesty

This week I’ve been up to London to the Care Innovations Summit to hear from some luminairies the sector, plus the chance to put some products through their paces – will be taking my trusty light meter… will share some take-aways next week.

Bon Appetit –

Light gives ageing noses- and appetites a helping hand. 

We’re used to worrying about putting on weight.

But as we get older, we’re more likely to go the other way and lose weight, which turns out to be worse for your health than carrying a few extra pounds- increased risk of infection, mood disorders, falls and premature death – Malnutrition in older adults. 

An estimated one in ten people over 65 are malnourished, according to AgeUK, and a shocking 34% in residential healthcare, according to another older study – Malnutrition, Dehydration and Malnutrition in Residential Care: Recommendations for Strategies for Improving Practice Derived from a Scoping Review of Existing Policies and Guidelines.

The causes for weight loss are complex, but losing your sense of smell doesn’t help, as millions discovered following a bout of Covid-19: scientists studying this population found a direct link between loss of smell and body weight – Eating Habits and Body Weight Changes Induced by Variation in Smell and Taste in Patients with Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection. 

Your sense of smell naturally gets worse after 40, but dementia speeds that process up – Characterizing the olfaction and dementia association in the community-based ARIC study.

What’s that got to do with light?

Your eyes tend to take over when other senses fail, so visual appeal becomes even more important. 

1. Start with sunlight –  People with Vitamin D deficiency over 80 years old are almost twice as likely to report taste impairment. Simply getting enough daylight during the summer months – and using supplements during the winter will help to keep your tastebuds on form – Age-related Smell and Taste Impairments and Vitamin D Associations in the U.S. Adults National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
2. Set the scene – switching to softer lighting is likely to increase intensity of taste- adding environmental cues like tablecloths tend to increase calorie intake – The impact of lighting and table linen as ambient factors on meal intake and taste perception.
3. Show the true colours – as any retailer will tell you, ‘full-spectrum’ light sources optimised for colour saturation and fidelity will make colours look more natural, increasing preference – Colour preference, naturalness, vividness and colour quality metrics, Part 2: Experiments in a viewing booth and analysis of the combined dataset. Adding an accent light to the table will bring out the glossiness in the dish, adding to visual appeal – Factors influencing the visual deliciousness / eye-appeal of food, Eating with our eyes: From visual hunger to digital satiation, Marketing online food images via color saturation: A sensory imagery perspective.

Why don’t doctors bother about the lights?

I’d love to know why so few people in healthcare give the lights a second thought – after all, getting a good nights’ sleep is the best medicine and it’s impossible to do that when there’s a 60×60 panel blazing away directly over your bed. I’m hoping to find out what it will take to get lighting on the agenda at this weekend workshop hosted by the National Care Forum – Care Innovation Challenge. I’ll let you know how I get on!

Running for Amnesty

 I’ve been following Greta’s progress with anxious awe – inspired to see this remarkable young woman shine a spotlight on suffering and injustice in the middle east. But as a lifetime supporter of Amnesty International,  I’m acutely aware that millions of people suffer unspeakable torture  alone and in the dark for standing up for their beliefs – or simply being different. My brother in law is a human rights lawyer and I see how hard he works to defend the cases that have made it to our shores – a fraction of the many thousands detained without trial.

So, thanks to David Richardson’s skill and patience, I’m running a half marathon in aid of Amnesty, because injustice for one is injustice for us all.  The JustGiving page is here in case you feel you’d like to support.