In a recent study published in Science, researchers looked into how sugar consumption in early childhood, specifically the first 1000 days, affects the chance of acquiring hypertension and diabetes.
Their findings show that sugar rationing during this time lessens the likelihood of developing these illnesses and can even delay their start.
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Background
The first 1000 days of life, from conception to the age of two, are recognized to be critical for long-term health, and poor eating during this time has been related to poor health outcomes in adulthood. While animal studies suggest long-term harm from early-life sugar consumption, human evidence is scarce, with previous studies focusing primarily on extreme settings (e.g., hunger) and maternal health risks.
Current dietary recommendations state that no added sugars should be ingested during this time. However, research from the United States indicates that the majority of infants and toddlers consume excessive amounts of sugar due to sugary meals and maternal diets, with the majority eating sweetened foods on a daily basis. Researchers also discovered that pregnant and nursing American women consume more than three times the recommended quantity of sugar per day (80g).
About the study
In this study, researchers utilized the end of sugar rationing in the United Kingdom in 1953 as a natural experiment, comparing adults conceived soon before it ended (who would have had reduced sugar exposure) to those conceived immediately after (who were expected to have more exposure).
They expected that limiting sugar intake throughout early life would lower the chance of developing hypertension and type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM), and that prolonged exposure to sugar rationing, particularly during gestation and early childhood, would result in higher health benefits.
Data were gathered from the UK BioBank, which gave hypertension and T2DM outcomes for over 500,000 individuals, and the National Food Survey (NFS), which included 60,183 people, 38,155 of whom were subjected to sugar rationing.
Sugar restriction was characterized as ‘in utero and postnatal months,’ ‘in utero,’ and ‘never.’ The key outcome variables were hypertension and type 2 diabetes diagnoses, as well as age of onset.
Researchers used statistical models to compare the hazard rates for hypertension and T2DM in rationed and non-rationed groups, adjusting for birth season, location, parental health history, and genetic risk of obesity. They also performed sensitivity analyses to avoid biases and confirm the model’s accuracy.
Findings
After the sugar restriction ended in the United Kingdom in 1953, adult sugar consumption nearly doubled, but children’s consumption increased significantly. The calorie intake also increased significantly, owing mostly to increasing sugar consumption. Increased sugar consumption was connected to poorer oral health in children.
Researchers discovered striking correlations between early-life sugar restriction and chronic disease. Early-life exposure to low sugar during restriction lowered the incidence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes by 20% and 35%, respectively. The beginning of the disorders was reduced by around two years for hypertension and four years for T2DM.
Adults who were subjected to sugar rationing for an extended period had the lowest chance of developing type 2 diabetes and hypertension, particularly after six months of age. Rationing for an additional month decreased disease risk even further. In-utero exposure alone was responsible for a large fraction of the lowered illness risk.
Researchers looked at other foods that were de-rationed during this time, such as meat and butter, but found that they had little effect on chronic disease risk or total diet modifications. Increased consumption of canned fruits may have contributed to increasing sugar intake.
Conclusions
Overall, the delayed hypertension and T2DM diagnoses in rationed groups demonstrate the potential benefits of sugar restriction, with in-utero rationing resulting in lower waist-to-height ratios and obesity reduction. The fact that no impacts were observed for unrelated disorders such as myopia or trauma-related depression adds to the findings’ validity.
Restricting sugar intake in gestation significantly reduced illness risk, confirming the “fetal origins hypothesis.” Early sugar consumption has an impact on lifelong sweetness preferences, raising the risk of T2DM and hypertension. Postnatal sugar restriction provided significant protection, particularly for women.
These data show that adhering to existing dietary sugar recommendations during early life may have major health consequences, consistent with the findings of diabetes prevention strategies. They contribute to the body of research supporting measures aimed at restricting sugar in infant foods, such as stronger market controls and sugar tariffs.
More research is needed to determine the appropriate quantities of sugar consumption during pregnancy, lactation, and early feeding to provide long-term health advantages.
