I Had A Full-Scale Brain MOT – Here’s What Happened

As dementia becomes the biggest health threat in Britain, Lucy Cleland checks in for a brain MOT at Echelon Health.

Going Beyond The Brain With Echelon Health

As I was lying down for a recent MRI scan, I was thinking of my mother-in-law who would have passed away possibly precisely at that moment. A vigorous, stoic and strong woman, she died of kidney cancer aged 83, a year after her diagnosis. Cancer, as we know, is one of the most common diseases that will force us to meet our maker, but – and this I didn’t know until I underwent Echelon Health’s Platinum Health Assessment, dementia is now the leading cause of death in the UK – outpacing heart disease and the big C.

‘And as our population ages, it’s only going to rise,’ confirms Dr Khan. He’s in the middle of checking my brain health with a series of finely tuned questions that can, in turn, along with the MRI and a blood test (which I’ve already had that morning as part of a series of the most extensive health assessments on offer – 18 in all, including CT scans, ultrasounds and a mole check), paint a picture of whether there’s need for concern

Reassuringly, even when I fess up to often forgetting words and names, misplacing items or even missing the odd flight, despite sitting at the departure gate (don’t ask), this can be attributed to being a busy perimenopausal woman (at least for now). But the facts I’ve just learnt send a chill through me.

There is good news though. ‘Up to 45 percent of the risk factors for dementia are modifiable. And 98 percent of us can do something to reduce our personal risk,’ smiles Dr Khan. As Dr Federica Amati says, what’s good for the body – not being overweight, a balanced diet, exercise, sleep and stress control – is good for the brain too.

That gives us some semblance of control, therefore, and a test like this at my age (I’m 49) gives me my baseline and can pinpoint any actions that might need to be taken to stave off potential problems down the line. ‘Our approach looks at blood markers, brain imaging and cognitive testing,’ says Dr Khan. ‘It’s about understanding your baseline and where you can intervene.’

And medication is coming down the pipe too. The progress made in cancer and heart disease has hugely outpaced that of dementia, so far. But things are changing. ‘There are over 140 drugs in trial for Alzheimer’s right now,’ confirms Dr Khan. ‘Some target amyloid [the toxic protein found in Alzheimer’s], but others take a broader approach – gut health, inflammation, blood sugar. One recent treatment has been shown to slow progression by up to 40 percent. It’s not available on the NHS yet – but it’s been approved by the MHRA.

‘This is the next health frontier,’ he continues. ‘We’ll look back and wonder why brain health wasn’t prioritised sooner. In the not-so-distant future, we’ll be giving chemotherapy for dementia the way we do for cancer.’

How To Make Your Lifestyle Matter

Below, Dr Khan shares his top tips for improving brain health:

1. The MIND Diet

The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay – or MIND diet – is proven to lower dementia risk. More vegetables, nuts, berries, pulses, healthy fats, and less saturated fat and sugar.

2. Regular Exercise

Exercise is a game-changer. Especially leg strength, which boosts brain-derived growth hormones. We recommend 150 minutes a week – ideally with resistance training.

3. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is critical for brain health. During deep sleep, the brain clears waste proteins like amyloid. Less than six hours a night is a serious risk factor.

4. Limit Stress

Chronic stress raises cortisol, which damages the brain. And hearing loss is one of the biggest and most overlooked modifiable risk factors. If you can’t hear well, get it checked.

BOOK IT

The Dementia Assessment costs £3,000. The Platinum Assessment costs £14,000. echelon.health