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Loading...By Patrick Holford
Food for the Brain, the UK’s Alzheimer’s prevention charity, has been selected by Innovate UK, the Government’s research and innovation agency, to develop and then roll-out to the National Health Service (NHS) a reliable test to help identify those at risk of dementia. The aim is to identify the markers that indicate a person is at risk of developing dementia long before it is too late to take steps to prevent its onset.
Image: Yay Images
Current tests typically confirm the onset of dementia – but don’t always predict who will suffer from it in the future, and hence they don’t help a person take steps early enough to prevent dementia. Research shows there is a lot one can do to help prevent dementia, reducing one’s risk by up to 73%, according to a UK Biobank study of modifiable risk factors.
Food for the Brain’s free online Cognitive Function Test has been taken by over 200,000 people and gives people a clear indication of their risk and how to mitigate it. Crucially, the Cognitive Function Test can differentiate between normal ageing and the patterns of decline associated with an increased future risk of dementia, thus enabling people to take action early enough to prevent this.
The results so far show that average cognitive function and memory decline quite steadily from the age of 18, and more so in men, with women’s rate of cognitive decline accelerating from around age 50, coinciding with the menopause.
As part of the READ-OUT study, led by the University of Oxford and funded through Innovate UK’s Blood Biomarker Challenge, the Cognitive Function Test will now be trialed for NHS memory clinics. The study will also engage people across diverse ethnic and cultural groups, helping to ensure dementia research and prevention strategies are inclusive and relevant for everyone affected by cognitive decline.
Dr Cynthia Bullock, Director, Healthy Lives at Innovate UK, said: “Digital cognitive assessments have the potential to transform how we detect and diagnose dementia, making it faster, more accurate, and accessible to more people. By supporting these projects, we’re not only driving innovation into NHS settings, but also helping reduce long-term care costs and improve outcomes for patients and families across the UK.”
“This project marks a step-change in how we approach dementia,” said Emma George, CEO of the Food for the Brain Foundation. “With Innovate UK’s support, we can validate the Cognitive Function Test within the NHS and move closer to a future where true prevention, by protecting brain health, is routine and accessible to all.”
Take the free Cognitive Function Test today at the Food for the Brain site.
About the Food for the Brain Foundation
The Food for the Brain Foundation is an educational and research charity, focusing on dementia prevention. It provides a free online, validated Cognitive Function Test, followed by the Dementia Risk Index questionnaire. This assesses eight drivers of dementia, helping you determine what you need to change to dementia-proof your brain. Visit and see the charity’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Patrick Holford is Nutrition and Mental Health expert & Founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition Advice, VitaminC4Covid, and the charitable Food for the Brain Foundation, which studies how to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Patrick reads thousands of studies a year assimilating the latest health breakthroughs and turn them into practical advice to make it easy for everyone to live a healthy life. He is author of over 45 health books translated into 30 languages.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.
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