Assessing the role of diet and nutrition in dementia risk

background

Due to population ageing, the number of individuals living with dementia is expected to triple from 50 to 150 million worldwide within the next three decades. Consequently, identifying modifiable risk factors which can be targeted for dementia prevention represents an important goal of 21^st century global health.

Promisingly, there is growing evidence that dementia risk could be reduced through lifestyle changes. Diet and nutrition play an important role in maintaining good health and may contribute to the prevention of major chronic conditions, however, the association between diet and dementia is unclear. In particular, the onset of preclinical dementia may result in a decline in diet quality, making it challenging to rule out reverse causation in studies with relatively short follow-up.

In this project, the student will address this evidence gap through the use of large-scale, prospective, population-based cohort studies. This includes studies such as EPIC-Oxford and UK Biobank, whilst other relevant studies will be identified through Dementia Platforms UK.

Advantages of these datasets include large sample sizes and long follow-up periods. Participants have provided rich and detailed dietary data enabling the identification of specific dietary patterns, food and nutrient intakes. The additional availability of genetic, neuroimaging, and multi-omic data will provide exciting opportunities to disentangle the associations between diet, dementia and brain health. 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, RESEARCH METHODS AND TRAINING

The project consists of secondary analyses of large and detailed observational studies. Data will be analysed with appropriate software (i.e. Stata, R etc.) and will require an understanding of longitudinal analytic approaches.

The student will be encouraged to shape their DPhil project in the area with guidance from the supervisory team. The initial focus will be on gaining a strong grasp of the existing literature on diet as a risk factor for dementia, and subsequently plan and conduct statistical analyses to address the research gaps identified. 

FIELD WORK, SECONDMENTS, INDUSTRY PLACEMENTS AND TRAINING

The student will be actively encouraged to attend relevant training courses to develop new skills, e.g. advanced statistical analyses and methodological approaches, as well as attend and present at national/international conferences and events. Whilst fieldwork is not anticipated, opportunities for placements relevant to the project will be explored.

PROSPECTIVE  STUDENT

This project will suit a student with postgraduate level training in epidemiology or statistics and a keen interest in nutritional research and/or identifying ways to prevent dementia. It would suit someone who is looking to expand their skills and experience in epidemiological design and statistical analysis, who would like to work with large-scale, complex epidemiological datasets and gain experience with complex dietary data.