Patrick Holford: Simple Wisdom for a Healthy Life Stimulate Your Mind to Stop Decline
17 snips
Mar 27, 2026 
Dr Tommy Wood, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Pediatrics and researcher at Food for the Brain, shares how to future-proof your brain. He explores retirement myths and the need to replace lost cognitive and social stimulation. He explains the 3S model: stimulus, supply and support. He describes best brain‑stimulating activities, exercise types, diet levers and practical biomarkers and supplements.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Osler Inspired Retirement Myths That Hurt Brain Health
- Patrick and Tommy discuss Sir William Osler's view that people over 60 were 'put out to pasture' and how that influenced societal beliefs.
- Tommy recounts Osler's 120-year-old Johns Hopkins address and links it to today's retirement mindset harming cognitive engagement.
3S Model For Brain Health
- Use the 3S model: Stimulus, Supply, Support to optimise brain health.
- Stimulus drives adaptation, supply (blood, energy, nutrients) enables response, and support (sleep, recovery) cements plasticity, so all three interact.
Choose Complex Social Activities To Stimulate Brain
- Stimulate your brain with complex, multisensory, social activities like team sports, dance, languages, or music.
- Tommy Wood highlights open-skill sports and creative arts as high-return activities because they combine movement, cognition, and social engagement.
