The food giant Nestlé has struck a deal with a Swiss university to conduct a five year programme of research into the relationship between nutrition and the brain.

The Nestlé Research Center (NRC) and EPFL, one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, will study the role nutrition plays in children’s brain development in order to identify ways of slowing down brain decline in older age and preventing diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The agreement will also include research into taste perception and flavour enhancement.

Nestlé will contribute 5 million swiss francs each year to research at EPFL’s Brain Mind Institute, where two Nestlé Chairs will be established.

The deal comes in the wake of the 3rd International Nutrition Symposium held at the NRC in October this year.

Nestlé established these yearly events three years ago in order to establish a world-class scientific forum devoted exclusively to food and health.

The latest meeting focused on improving the scientific understanding of the importance of food in fuelling the brain and how the brain chooses food.

One of the most important findings was that a good diet has more potential than previously recognised to improve brain function.

It is believed the findings may help in establishing specific nutritional targets which slow down or even stabilise age-related brain decline.