Professor Rose Anne Kenny appears on Jamie Oliver’s Reset Your Health podcast
Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Principal Investigator of TILDA, recently featured on Episode 6 of Reset Your Health with Jamie Oliver, titled “Ageing Disgracefully”.
The episode forms part of a wider podcast series hosted by Jamie Oliver, which brings together leading researchers and clinicians to explore how lifestyle, behaviour, and social factors influence long-term health and wellbeing.
Rethinking ageing: from decline to opportunity
In her conversation with Jamie Oliver, Prof Kenny discussed how ageing can be reframed not as inevitable decline, but as a stage of life shaped by purpose, creativity, connection, and participation.
Drawing on more than two decades of evidence from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, she highlighted research showing that a positive attitude, strong social connections, physical activity, good sleep, and optimism are all associated with better wellspan — the number of years lived in good health.
Importantly, these benefits extend beyond individuals, with clear implications for communities, health systems, and society as a whole.
Evidence that connection and creativity matter
TILDA research consistently shows that social and behavioural factors play a powerful role in how we age. Prof Kenny emphasised that fostering environments where people remain socially engaged, creative, and physically active can add years of quality life, not just years to life.
The discussion also touched on the importance of translating scientific evidence into everyday, practical ideas that people can relate to. One light-hearted suggestion from the episode was a “Souper Friendly Friday”, using something as simple as sharing a bowl of soup to encourage regular social connection.
Translating research into public conversation
Prof Kenny’s appearance on Reset Your Health reflects TILDA’s ongoing commitment to public engagement, ensuring that robust population research informs how ageing is understood beyond academic and clinical settings.
As Ireland’s nationally representative longitudinal study on ageing, TILDA provides a unique evidence base to support healthier ageing across the life course and to inform public health priorities nationally and internationally.
🎧 Listen to the episodon Audibl:e
Reset Your Health with Jamie Oliver, Episode 6: Ageing Disgracefully