Dementia warning as craving certain foods 'could be a sign of the disease'
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the rare forms of dementia and can cause patients to crave sweet, fatty foods, or carbohydrates and even forget their table manners
A hankering for certain food could be an early warning sign of dementia, experts have warned. Dementia is a broad term used to describe a variety of conditions that cause memory loss, with Alzheimer's disease being the most prevalent type. Vascular dementia accounts for the majority of other cases.
However, there are also less common forms of dementia, one of which is known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This condition can lead to behavioural and language difficulties, and may even change a person's preferred food choices.
Alzheimer's UK, a leading charity, explains that FTD patients may "crave sweet, fatty foods, or carbohydrates and forget their table manners". They added: "They may also no longer know when to stop eating, drinking alcohol, or smoking."
Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK, claiming the lives of approximately 67,000 people across the four nations each year.
In an effort to raise awareness and accelerate scientific progress towards a cure, Scottish Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart founded Race Against Dementia after his wife was diagnosed with FTD in 2014.
The charity is optimistic about the development of a new treatment for the disease within the next decade, according to scientist Dr Cara Croft.
It is through that initiative that Sir Jackie is helping to fund a new trial at the University of Cambridge which hopes to spot signs of the disease in people many years before it ever begins to have an effect.
In more than a decade since her diagnosis, however, Lady Helen's dementia has steadily progressed over time.
And Sir Jackie, 85, previously recounted how his wife of more than 60 years forgot who he was.
Speaking in 2022, he told the BBC: 'Just the other day it was time for dinner, she's getting up and I'm sitting close by, and she says, 'Where's Jackie?' That's the first time that's happened and that's only a few weeks ago.
'A bad feeling came over me.'
He went on to say that his wife's mind is in 'a new world' and that she is now no longer able to walk on her own as a result of her condition.
What are the symptoms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD)?
As well as changes in eating habits, other symptoms of FTD include:
Being insensitive or rude
Acting impulsively
Loss of inhibitions
Seeming subdued
Losing interest in people and things
Losing drive and motivation
Inability to emphasis with others
Repetitive behaviours
Compulsive eating
Neglecting personal hygiene
Using words incorrectly
Loss of vocabulary
Repeating a limited number of phrases
Forgetting the meaning of common words
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