This has been a landmark year for Food for the Brain, a year in which our work moved from ambition to acceleration. I am reminded of this shift every time I hear from individuals and families whose lives are quietly changed by prevention. Earlier this year, Nisha told us she had been struggling with her memory and felt genuinely worried about what it might mean for her future. She took the DRIfT blood test and discovered her omega-3 levels were extremely low, even though her vitamin D and HbA1c were in good shape.
She began targeted nutritional changes and, within a few months, noticed her memory improving. The results gave her confidence and direction. Instead of fearing where things were heading, she felt she had a practical route to protect her brain health. For Nisha and her children, that shift was life-changing. As she put it: “What you’ve done with Food for the Brain is on another level.”
Stories like Nisha’s remind us that prevention is powerful. With the right knowledge at the right time, people can change their cognitive trajectory long before disease ever takes hold.
This has been our most expansive year yet.
We reached new ground and new communities at a scale we have never seen before.
Most importantly, 200,000 individuals have now taken direct action to protect their brain health.
Education powers this progress. Over the last twelve months, we delivered more than 5.7 million moments of evidence-based brain health education, helping people understand how to protect and improve their cognitive future. These small moments accumulate into meaningful change.
When I stepped into the CEO role a year ago, my priority was to build the operational backbone needed for the scale we knew was coming. This work is less visible from the outside, but it is the reason we were able to secure Innovate UK support, progress major scientific partnerships and prepare for international expansion. Step by step, we are becoming the sustainable, resilient and science-driven organisation this field needs.
The appointment of Dr Tommy Wood, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Washington, as our Head of Research has been pivotal. Under his leadership, our scientific direction has sharpened into a clear and ambitious programme. Over the past year, we have advanced from holding one of the richest prevention datasets in the world to building a strategic roadmap that strengthens and validates it. Our research team is now refining the Dementia Risk Index with greater precision and clarifying the role of nutritional biomarkers in tracking and modifying future dementia risk.
This work reinforces what sets us apart. We are the organisation connecting cognition, lifestyle patterns, biomarkers and long-term outcomes at population scale, with prevention at the centre. That distinction is now recognised across academic and clinical communities.
This year brought a marked shift in how others see Food for the Brain. Universities, healthcare providers, digital health innovators and international research groups actively sought partnerships. We were invited to contribute, teach and shape the public conversation on dementia prevention in ways that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. The Innovate UK award marked an important milestone, reflecting the relevance of our work to UK innovation and health system priorities
We are moving out of the era of small charity innovation and into the era of national leadership. And we are only just getting started.
The year ahead will see us drive toward one million Cognitive Function Tests, expand DRIfT testing, host a global Alzheimer’s Prevention Conference with top researchers, reach more families and children through Smart Kids, increase accessibility for vulnerable communities and progress the work needed for healthcare integration. This is how we bring prevention from the margins of the healthcare system into the mainstream.
My vision is clear.
Food for the Brain will lead a global movement that proves dementia is not inevitable and will empower millions to protect their brains for life.
Philanthropic support plays a vital role in accelerating our impact. If you are in a position to support this next phase of growth through partnership, advocacy or donation, I would be delighted to connect.
To our trustees, scientific advisors, academic partners, FRIENDS, generous donors, volunteers, phenomenally brilliant team members, and the growing community of Citizen Scientists who trust us with their cognitive future – thank you! Your belief fuels our progress, and your partnership directly shapes what we can achieve.
And finally, a personal thank you to Patrick Holford, our founder, whose vision created the foundation on which we now stand and who is now involved in taking our message globally. It is a privilege to lead Food for the Brain into this next chapter, building on the legacy Patrick has created and expanding it into this new era of scientific and global impact.
Together, we are proving what is possible. And it is together that we are protecting brain health and transforming the future for families and society.
Best wishes,
Emma George
CEO, Food for the Brain Foundation
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We couldn’t do without our FRIENDS or without those who contribute to our Citizen Science. Here are three ways you can be part of the movement:
Food for the Brain is a not for profit educational and research charity that offers a free Cognitive Function Test and assesses your Dementia Risk Index. This allows them to advise you on how to dementia proof your diet and lifestyle.
By completing the Cognitive Function Test you are joining our grassroots research initiative to find out what really works for preventing cognitive decline. We share our ongoing research results with you to help you make brain-friendly choices.
Please support our research by becoming a Friend of Food for the Brain.
