NHS Food-Brain-Behaviour Stakeholder Engagement Event (NIHR funded)

This launch event took place on 18th March 2025.  Please register your interest if you would like to hear about future similar events

This stakeholder engagement event invited attendees to contribute their experience or expertise with the aim of helping move the area of food & behaviour forward

Watch the video clip below to find out more from Dr Kevin Williamson on the importance of finding out from the people that this research impacts in practice and more about using this first stakeholder engagement event to shape the direction of the project.

Why was this event needed?

Back in 2007-8, FAB Research and many of our Speakers and Associate members - including Kevin himself - all made contributions to the UK Parliamentary Food and Health Forum Inquiry into the links between Diet and Behaviour – which considered the evidence then for the role of nutrition in mental health and wellbeing.

• Read the full report and recommendations HERE 

Since that time, the evidence that nutritional and dietary interventions can help to provide a more cost-effective approach to the prevention and management of psychiatric disorders has only continued to increase  - and yet the needle in real-world practice has barely moved.

We do not want to see this important area continue to be overlooked.

More than this, we want to see

• new (and old) ideas and research being explored in public discussion
• existing high-quality research evidence being put into practice within healthcare settings.

What topics did this event cover?

A diverse cohort of researchers, clinicians and members of the public discussed and shaped research priorities across key areas of behaviour, including:

1. Staff wellbeing; (e.g. stress, ‘burnout’, sleep problems, pain, fatigue, emotional balance - and PHYSICAL wellbeing)
2. Pregnancy and Early Life; (e.g. pre-conception, pregnancy, infant feeding & weaning; maternal + infant wellbeing)
3. Neurodevelopmental conditions; (e.g. ADHD, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia / DCD & other behaviour, language or learning difficulties)
4. Depression and Anxiety; (e.g. Major depression, other Mood Disorders, General Anxiety,, Panic, Phobias, OCD etc...)
5. Eating Disorders; (e.g. Anorexia, Bulimia, Selective Eating, Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, Binge Eating, Orthorexia) 
6. Addiction & Substance Use; (e.g. Alcohol, Recreational Substance Use & Dependence, Medication Issues, Behavioural Addictions – and ‘Food Addiction’)
7. Serious Mental Illness; (e.g. Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, other forms of Psychosis – and including Psychosis-proneness, Personality disorders)
8. Dementia / Age-Related conditions;  (e.g. Age-Related Cognitive Decline, MCI, Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia and other age-related conditions, including neurological disorders...) 
9. Pain (mental & physical); (e.g. related conditions, pain management issues)
10. Aggression, anti-social or challenging behaviour; (e.g. reactive or proactive; including any forms of abuse, violence or coercion)

What did the day look like? 

The day started in the morning with presentations

1) from Dr Alex Richardson - giving a summary outline of the scientific evidence linking nutrition and diet with brain health and behaviour, highlighting the topics for discussion.

2) from Dr Kevin Williamson - discussing key findings from his clinical experience and research on dietary intervention for psychosis management. 

Discussions were held from late morning through the afternoon, 'world-cafe' style, allowing participants to discuss each topic for 20-30 minutes in a relaxed setting, before moving on to the next.

We intend to write up the insights obtained from this event for publication.

Please register here if you'd like to be kept updated on this project - including reports from this first event

RDasH Collaboration & NIHR Grant

This event is the first to come from the highly competitive DSE grant, awarded to Kevin to fund the development of research in the field of Nutritional Psychiatry, which involves a formal placement with FAB Research.

Kevin is working with our charity FAB Research to help build and extend existing collaborations with public, professional and academic stakeholders, to help shape, develop and implement a programme of research - aimed at bring real benefits to both patients experiencing poor mental health, and those who care for them.

Find out more about his formal collaboration with FAB Research here

Or watch the a previously recorded webinar with Dr Kevin Williamson himself below,

free to NHS staff, UK researchers, students or support groups

Views of Some Patients and Carers

"Patients and carers acknowledge that they don’t know much about the topic, but are very keen on this as a strand of their care."

"Patients and carers relay a sense of feeling empowered at finding their own strategies and a sense of pride and achievement comes through in the data"

"Support for this should come from a trusted source, such as NHS professionals"

"Accessibility to healthy food can be a challenge and would welcome support that considers, cost, skills and motivation"

Researchers

Dr Kevin Williamson

Consultant Nutritionist - Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber (RDasH) NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Alex Richardson

DPhil (Oxon), PGCE, FRSA

World-renowned researcher, educator, speaker and published author; and Founder Director of the UK-based charity, Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research.

Hazel De Maeijer, ANutr

Nutritionist, MSc, BSc, GMBPsS

FAB Communications Officer and Volunteer Co-Ordinator

Bringing experience as a Learning Support Practitioner for students with special educational needs, and a personal and professional interest in ADHD, Autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions, as well as emotional regulation and executive function