EXCLUSIVE The incredible new diet that can slash your risk of dementia by a staggering 25 per cent and even slow down ageing - as researchers reveal exactly when you should start following it
If eating healthily protects you against dying young, some diets in particular seem to be better than others in warding off cognitive decline and dementia.
Scientists in the US have just published the results of a large study that found people in their 40s and beyond who followed an eating regimen called the MIND diet were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
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The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
The Denis Villeneuve movies you need to watch – as he is confirmed for the next Bond film
Amazon MGM Studios has just announced that Oscar-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film in an incredibly exciting move for the spy franchise. Accompanying Villeneuve will be his artistic partner and wife, Tanya Lapointe, as executive producer, as well as David Heyman and Amy Pascal as producers. 'Some of my earliest moviegoing memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery. I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he's sacred territory,' Villeneuve said in a statement on Wednesday (25 June). 'I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour.' 'We are honoured that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond's next chapter. He is a cinematic master whose filmography speaks for itself,' Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said of Villeneuve. It's fair to say that we can expect big things in the franchise's next instalment. While we're rather excited that this big name in the business will be the creative mind behind what is one of the decade's most anticipated films, we can't ignore his already impressive, existing catalogue. Villeneuve is a four-time Academy Award nominee, known for his ability to combine blockbuster visuals with complex character storylines. If, in the lead up to the release of what is currently known as 'Bond 26', you're looking to get a taste of Villeneuve's impeccable style, or refresh your memory on his skill, there are a number of his films we'd recommend you watch. Dune It's often been said that Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune is unadaptable to the big screen, but Villeneuve pulled it off. Somehow turning high-concept 1960s sci-fi psychedelia into an approachable action blockbuster, the 2021 Dune film follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). Paul, the son of the noble house Atreides, is pulled from his comfortable homeworld into a web of political intrigue on the desert planet Arrakis. Drawn into a complicated war over the psychotropic drug 'spice', Paul finds himself in the middle of dangerous machinations between his mother's magical, all-women cult, the terrifying feudal Harkonnens, and Arrakis' insurgent native population. Sounds like a lot, but Villeneuve manages to juggle all of this with some astonishing action set pieces. Dune: Part Two Spoilers ahead. Dune: Part Two was released in 2024, and once again follows Paul Atreides' journey. As he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen of Arrakis in a war against House Harkonnen, Paul has difficult choices to make between the love of his life, and the fate of the known universe. The mind-bending second act of Villeneuve's Dune trilogy, this film has some truly astonishing set pieces – once seen, the black and white infrared gladiator fight on Giedi Prime is never forgotten. Blade Runner 2049 Blade Runner 2049 is a 2017 neo-noir sci-fi sequel to Blade Runner (1982). The film is set in Los Angeles in the year 2049, where replicants are still being used for slave labour. Working for the Los Angeles Police Department as a blade runner, K (Ryan Gosling) has the job of hunting down and retiring outdated Nexus-8 android replicants. After evidence emerges that replicants can reproduce, K is sent on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has been missing for 30 years, with the help of his AI girlfriend Joi (Ana de Armas) and Freysa (Hiam Abbass). Visually stunning, the film somehow matches the neon heights of the original. Sicario Sicario is the most Bond-like of all Villeneuve's films. FBI special agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is drawn into the war on drugs at the border between the US and Mexico. This stunningly violent film follows Kate into a complicated plot unravelling the interplay between Mexican drug cartels and complicit US government agencies. Like Dune, this film is packed with intricate, hair-raising action set pieces that should translate perfectly into Bond. Arrival This beautiful film is a first-contact film like you've never seen before. After twelve mysterious spacecraft appear over the Earth, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with deciphering an extraterrestrial language along with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). A slower, quieter film than Villeneuve's other blockbusters, the film focuses on the nature of language and memory as it follows Louise's painstaking work to decipher an alien language she cannot even hear. The award-winning soundtrack is truly spine-tingling, and the payoff to the shocking twist at the end of the film is another unforgettable Villeneuve moment.
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
How to manage ADHD at work and turn it into a strength
Jeremy Didier had taken her son to a psychologist for a possible ADHD evaluation when she spotted an article about women with the condition. As she read it in the waiting room, she thought to herself: They're describing me. 'Lots of risk-taking, lots of very impulsive behavior growing up,' Didier said. As the magazine described, she'd excelled in school but gotten in trouble for talking too much. She'd amassed too many speeding tickets as an adult. She turned to her husband and said, "I think I might have ADHD.' Didier is now the board president of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a nonprofit advocacy and support organization. Her realization mirrors the experiences of other adults who wonder if they have ADHD after a child's diagnosis. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity or a combination of the two. Common symptoms such as trouble concentrating or sitting still can create challenges at work. People with ADHD are often passed over for promotions, said Andrew Sylvester, a psychiatrist at UCHealth, a hospital in Longmont, Colorado. Difficulties with attention may lead the mind to drift during meetings, and cause someone to miss important discussion nuances. The disorder may interfere with organization, planning and remembering details. Yet some adults think of having ADHD as a source of personality strengths and ways of thinking that benefit employers. Diagnostic manuals may call it a disorder, but it also can be a superpower, they said. 'Our brains work differently and so we're more likely to be able to think outside the box and come up with different things, and sometimes that's because we've had to do that in order to to survive,' Didier said. Here are some ways to cope with and channel ADHD in the workplace. Finding community Getting diagnosed with ADHD doesn't always lead to a quick fix. While doctors often recommend medication and therapy, not everyone can take medication, and those routes don't necessarily eliminate all symptoms. Didier floundered with a messy house and lots of yelling as she and four of her five children were diagnosed with ADHD. She experimented with medicine, diets and reward charts, and discovered what helped her the most: a community of parents who had children with ADHD. 'There's nothing like talking to other people who are going through what you're going through to help you feel ... that you're not alone,' she said. Didier eventually became a social worker and now runs support groups for adults with ADHD, teaching skills they can use at work. Some organizations have employee resource groups organized around neurodiversity to provide camaraderie and support to adults with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and other conditions. GPS of the brain People with ADHD often struggle with executive function, which Didier describes as 'your brain's GPS' for navigating your day. Executive function is a set of mental skills that includes making plans, managing time and flexible thinking. It also includes working memory, which helps us keep track of what we're doing. To keep from getting derailed, experts recommend breaking large tasks into chunks, writing detailed to-do lists and taking breaks. Personal chef Bill Collins, 66, who was diagnosed with ADHD two years ago, writes structured lists when he's making a meal for a client. He creates categories for kitchen areas — counter, stove and oven — and then lists tasks such as 'chop carrots, boil water for pasta' underneath each category. Then he numbers each task so he knows exactly what to do, where and when. 'That's how I got around my unknown ADHD early on, just making lists,' Collins said. 'If it's something I don't want to do, I put it at the top of the list so I can be done with it." Another technique is called 'body doubling,' which involves a pair of work colleagues meeting over Zoom or in-person to focus on completing projects. The two may choose to perform separate tasks — one might build a presentation deck while the other files tax reports — but help each other stay accountable. 'You're just sitting there during that dedicated time, getting things done,' Didier said. Insurance company Liberty Mutual provides an AI tool that helps break down large projects into manageable tasks and provides reminders about deadlines, to help employees with ADHD stay focused and organized, said Head of Benefits Verlinda DiMarino. Getting through meetings Meetings can be difficult for people with ADHD if their minds drift or they feel an urge to get up out of a chair. They also may struggle with impulse control and find it hard to wait their turn to speak. Nicole Clark, CEO of the Adult and Pediatric Institute, a mental health practice in Stuart, Florida, suggests asking for meeting topics in advance and writing up talking points. If you think of questions during the meeting, write them down. Some employers use a voice-to-text service, projecting what a speaker is saying on a screen, which helps people with attention difficulties stay focused, Clark said. Sylvester, the psychiatrist, recommends practicing active listening by repeating in your head what someone just said, or taking a brief time-out from a meeting to reset. Tell them, ''I need five minutes. I'll be right back.' Get up and walk out. Do what you need to do,' he said. Mariel Paralitici-Morales, chief medical officer of the Adult and Pediatric Institute, who has ADHD, sits close to whoever will be speaking to help sustain attention. 'Having something in my hand helps,' said Paralitici-Morales, who sometimes holds a fidget spinner. 'If we have to talk, I found it's easier for me to be the first one and break the ice" to keep herself from second-guessing what she planned to say. Seek accommodations People with an ADHD diagnosis can request accommodations at work through the Americans with Disabilities Act. Noise-canceling headphones may help. Consider asking for the ability to take a break every 20 minutes, Sylvester said. 'Set a timer for five to 10 minutes. Get up and walk around. Make some coffee. Go play with the dog,' he said. 'When that timer goes off, go back to a 15 to 20 minute hard productivity cycle.' Employees can also request a flexible schedule or ability to work from home, which can enable time for therapy or self-care. Antoinette Damico, 23, who coordinates events at an executive search firm in San Francisco, said she practices meditation, writes daily goals in a journal and stays off short-form media to improve her concentration. Celebrate your strengths Having ADHD can be an asset in the workplace, and many CEOs and entrepreneurs are neurodiverse, Didier said. 'We bring all kinds of unique talents to our workplaces. Hyper-focus, lots of energy, resilience, the ability to multitask,' she added. 'There's something about people with ADHD that seems to unmask or give us a greater capacity for creativity and innovation.' Damico also thinks her ADHD provides some advantages. When she's interested in a topic, she can be extremely focused, reading extensively and talking about the topic nonstop, a trait others with ADHD report. 'It can generate a real passion in you that is a bit unique," she said. "It really creates this grit in me in terms of when I really want to accomplish something, there's this boost of energy.' ___
Telegraph
38 minutes ago
- Telegraph
How China is winning the military space race
China is developing 'breathtakingly fast', the United States has warned. Gen Stephen Whiting, the top commander of the US Space Force (USSF), said China's use of space to complete its 'kill chain' – the process of identifying, tracking and attacking a target – had become 'very concerning'. Space warfare capabilities are increasingly critical to the defence strategies of major powers. The United States, China and Russia are locked in an arms race to develop space technology and Donald Trump's administration is planning a 'Golden Dome' network of space-based interceptors to block missiles fired towards the US. Gen Whiting identified three areas of serious concern, where China has advanced rapidly: its space-based targeting system, its space counter-weapons and its integration of space capabilities with its conventional military. Space-based targeting systems Beijing's space-based targeting system, can be used to 'track and target US and allied forces in the Indo-Pacific', Gen Whiting told the Breaking Defence news outlet. These systems can be used to support 'over-the-horizon' precision strikes on US military targets, he said. Gen Anthony Mastalir, commander of USSF in the Indo-Pacific, has also previously said that China's long-range weapons, including those specifically aimed at targeting the US and its allies, 'depend on space'. He added that space tech was how China 'closes its kill chain' and strikes its targets with precision. By the end of last year, China had more than 500 satellites capable of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), according to the USSF. In the last decade, Beijing has deployed nearly 900 satellites into orbit. Of the 260 launched last year, 67 were capable of ISR. Earlier this year, Chinese scientists developed what was hailed as the world's most powerful satellite tracking camera, capable of capturing images with millimetre-level accuracy from over 100 kilometres away. Counter-weapons and jamming The second way in which China is moving quickly in space is through the development of counter-weapons, or weapons that destroy or jam other satellites, either launched from the ground or from space. According to Gen Whiting, these include 'reversible cyber-attacks, Satcom [satellite communications] and GPS-jamming' as well as high-energy lasers, direct ascent anti-satellite (Da-Sat) rockets, missiles and co-orbital Asats. Asats are satellites put into orbit to threaten other satellites. Da-Asat rockets are an important part of China's growing military arsenal in space. As far back as 2008, China was known to have been capable of shooting down satellites with missiles launched from the ground. Over the last 20 years, it has conducted several such anti-satellite tests. In March, the USSF said Chinese satellites were making controlled synchronised manoeuvres – satellites moving around each other in orbit while in formation. Gen Michael A Guetlein, the deputy chief of US operations at the USSF, said at the time that this showed China was 'practising tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another'. Beijing is known to have between one and three of these programmes, which can also be used to launch kinetic kill vehicles (a weapon based solely on its own kinetic energy) to target objects in space, or co-ordinate collisions. Destroying satellites in orbit puts other satellites at risk by creating debris fields, but jamming can be used to break down capabilities without creating hazards. Jamming technology targets the electronic link between a satellite and its user, putting it out of action without destroying it. Experts have previously warned that the US would be underprepared for attacks involving GPS jamming or 'spoofing', which is when a GPS receiver is manipulated or misled. These technologies can be used to disable munitions, redirect drones and missiles and shut down critical infrastructures. Integration with conventional forces The final area of concern for the US, said Gen Whiting, is China's integration of space capabilities into its conventional army, air force and navy. Gen Whiting said that in 'using space-enabled services' Beijing has made its armed forces ' more lethal, more precise and more far-ranging '. During a major strategic overhaul in 2016, China's military, the People's Liberation Army, added a military aerospace unit to its Strategic Support Force, which was established to oversee 'information-ised conflicts'. In April 2024, the force was split into three independent units: a dedicated aerospace force, a cyberspace army and an information support arm. All this suggests that China is catching up with America. While the US is estimated to have around 8,000 satellites in space, compared with China's 1,000, each nation has about 250 military satellites. In March, Gen Guetlein said: 'There used to be a significant capability gap between the United States and our adversaries, driven by our technological advantage. That gap, once massive, has narrowed considerably. 'If we don't change our approach to space operations, we risk seeing that gap reverse, putting us at a disadvantage.' In May, the US signalled a renewed focus on space-based weapons with the announcement of Mr Trump's golden dome project. The $175 billion (£147 billion) proposal aims to create a network of satellites by 2029 that will detect, track and shoot down missiles fired at the US. This system would probably only cover the US. Should America and China be drawn into a conflict, in Taiwan for example, China could not only have home advantage, but the advantage in space as well.
