Your brain is influenced by what you eat, how you move, how you sleep and the way you live.
At Food for the Brain, we’ve brought together eight key areas of nutrition and lifestyle into one science based framework to help you understand what matters for your brain health and where you can make a difference.
Discover the 8 Domains and take positive steps towards a healthier brain, today and for the future.
There isn’t one magic ingredient for a healthy brain.
The 8 Domains bring together key areas of nutrition and lifestyle that research has linked to brain health, cognitive function and the risk of cognitive decline. They are grounded in published scientific evidence and shaped by the expertise of researchers working across nutrition, neuroscience and dementia prevention.
They are interconnected, which means small improvements across different areas can add up to a more joined-up approach to looking after your brain
Each domain represents an important area of nutrition or lifestyle that contributes to the broader picture of brain health.
Blood sugar and metabolic health
Explore the relationship between carbohydrate quality, glycaemic load, blood sugar regulation and brain health.
Homocysteine and brain health
Learn about B vitamins, homocysteine metabolism and their role in normal brain function.
Essential fats and nutrients
Discover the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients involved in brain structure and function.
Protective plant nutrients
Explore antioxidant-rich foods, polyphenols and their potential role in supporting healthy brain ageing.
The gut-brain connection
Understand the relationship between digestive health, the gut microbiome and the brain.
Movement and exercise
Learn how physical activity contributes to cardiovascular health, cognitive function and healthy ageing.
Explore Active Body domain →
Mental and social activity
Explore the role of learning, intellectual stimulation and social connection in cognitive health.
Rest and emotional wellbeing
Understand the importance of sleep, stress management and emotional wellbeing for brain health.
Because brain health is bigger than any one nutrient, supplement or lifestyle habit.
What we eat can affect our metabolic health. Movement can influence sleep and mood. Our gut, cardiovascular health, social lives and nutritional status are interconnected too.
The 8 Domains help make sense of that bigger picture.
Instead of searching for a single solution, they give you a practical way to look across your lifestyle, understand where you are today and identify changes that may help support your brain health over time.
Not every factor associated with dementia risk is equally important, and not every risk factor is equally easy to change.
Food for the Brain’s 8 Domains bring together areas of nutrition and lifestyle that research has linked with brain health and cognitive decline, with a particular focus on factors that can potentially be modified.
Our approach considers the strength of the research, how common different risk factors are, their potential contribution to risk, and whether practical changes can be made.
Understanding the 8 Domains is a starting point. Our Cognitive Function Test helps you explore your cognitive function alongside the nutrition and lifestyle factors covered by the 8 Domains.
Your results can help you understand where you’re doing well and identify areas where there may be opportunities to support your brain health.
Your results include your Dementia Risk Index (DRI), which looks at your nutrition and lifestyle across the 8 Domains.
COGNITION is Food for the Brain’s personalised brain health programme, designed to help you turn those insights into practical diet and lifestyle changes.
See how Food for the Brain is turning dementia prevention research into action.
