All in the mind?

Eating for a healthier brain also means eating to improve your heart health and prevent diabetes. ‘A high-sugar, high-fat diet that hinders blood flow to your heart also affects blood flow to your brain, and this can lead to vascular dementia,’ says Marilyn.

‘But a high-sugar diet that puts you at risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes also has an impact.

‘Insulin regulates essential brain chemicals – but, with too much sugar in your diet, your brain, like your body, can become insulin resistant, meaning it can’t respond to insulin properly.’