For things like dementia prevention or risk reduction, some of the most robust evidence really is in physical activity both aerobic and resistance training. I think when we're thinking about brain health and mental health, we really need to think of it as a long game. You know your prefrontal cortex isn't sport to be fully baked until you're about the age of 25. So that's why we need to really think about preconception nutrition because the neural crest the part of the developing embryo that becomes the brain and spinal cord really starts to develop very very early. The nutritional status at conception becomes really important for the the foundations of the brain.
Distinguished psychologist Kimberley Wilson's recent book is Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat Is Fuelling Our Mental Health Crisis. In it, she explores the tangible links between diet and how the mind works. Wilson was a former Governor of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Mental Health Trust and has a master’s degree in nutrition. She also previously led the therapy service at what was then Europe’s largest women’s prison, so she knows first-hand about the importance of food and its role in mental health. Joining Kimberly in conversation is Christian Jarrett, cognitive neuroscientist and editor of Psyche magazine.
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