ANH founder and Executive Director, Rob Verkerk, PhD, speaks to Patrick Holford about the giant step forward Alzheimer’s prevention is about to take thanks to a grant enabling a high-profile research project.
In a world where someone in the UK develops dementia every 65 seconds – and every three seconds globally – the need for effective prevention has never been greater. Despite billions spent on drug development, no Alzheimer’s medication to date has shown meaningful improvement in cognitive outcomes. In fact, many come with serious side effects, including brain swelling and bleeding.
For nearly two decades, the Food for the Brain Foundation (FFB) has been at the forefront of preventing Alzheimer’s naturally, empowering hundreds of thousands of people to take control of their brain health through science-backed, preventive tools.
Now, their pioneering work has received national recognition. Food for the Brain has been awarded a prestigious Innovate UK grant, part of UK Research and Innovation, to advance early dementia detection and prevention. This funding marks a major milestone not only for the Foundation but also for the global movement of clinicians, researchers, and citizen scientists dedicated to stopping cognitive decline before it starts.
As part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge, led by Professor Vanessa Raymont at the University of Oxford, this project will integrate Food for the Brain’s Cognitive Function Test (CFT) into NHS-linked research, enabling earlier, more accurate detection of dementia risk and empowering people to make lifestyle and nutritional changes that protect their brain health.
To explore what this means for the future of dementia prevention, ANH founder, Rob Verkerk PhD, sat down with acclaimed nutritionist, Patrick Holford, founder of the Food for the Brain Foundation and long-time champion of nutritional approaches to support cognitive health.
Together, they discuss how the Innovate UK award is catalyzing a transformation in how we understand, detect, and prevent dementia – moving the conversation from treatment to true prevention – naturally.
What This Means for Global Brain Health and Dementia Detection
The FFB Cognitive Function Test (CFT) is the only freely available online tool that measures cognitive performance. It also provides a personalized Dementia Risk Index, based on eight key lifestyle and biological factors.
With award of this grant, FFB will be able to take the next step – integrating CFT with blood test data from the Dementia Risk Index Functional Test (DRIfT).
The DRIfT test measures five critical nutritional biomarkers proven to influence cognitive ageing:
- Omega-3 Index – vital brain fats that support memory and neuronal health
- Vitamin D – essential for mood, immunity, and brain protection
- Homocysteine – a marker of B-vitamin status; high levels increase the risk of brain shrinkage
- HbA1c – a measure of long-term blood sugar control linked to brain energy supply
- Glutathione Index – the body’s master antioxidant defense
Combining these markers with FFB’s multilingual, free Cognitive Function Test means that more and more people can detect early warning signs of cognitive decline. This can happen decades before diagnosis. This empowers them to take action early – and prevent it. Together, these innovations represent the future of dementia detection and prevention.
“For nearly two decades we’ve been proving that Alzheimer’s is preventable. This grant allows us to bring that proof into mainstream healthcare and make prevention available to all.”
Patrick Holford, Founder, Food for the Brain Foundation
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Take Part – Protect Your Brain, Advance the Science, Stay Sharp for Life
Ultimately, this work only matters if people like you take part.
By joining the global citizen-science movement, you’ll help FFB refine and accelerate the world’s first large-scale dementia prevention database.
Step 1: Take the free Cognitive Function Test
A quick, 20-minute online test that shows you how well your brain is performing and what to do next.
Step 2: Complete the DRIFT biomarker test
A simple at-home finger-prick blood test that measures your omega-3, vitamin D, B-vitamin, blood sugar, and antioxidant status.
Take the test. Join the study. Be part of prevention.
👉 foodforthebrain.org/tests | foodforthebrain.org/driftstudy
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