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The Earl of Effingham (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 22 June 2026

Debate

NHS: Dementia Treatment Trials

Contribution

My Lords, Wes Streeting was absolutely right when he said that prevention is better than cure. The onset of dementia can be delayed by regular exercise and eating healthily, but the facts are that one in three adults is not taking the recommended NHS guidelines for exercise. Ultra-processed foods provide more than half the total energy intake in UK adults, and the National Institute on Aging has suggested that what we eat, such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains, “affects the aging brain’s ability to think and remember”. Fixing this will not only make the population healthier, saving the NHS tens of billions of pounds, but prevent the onset of dementia. Surely it is time to act at pace.

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