Early Low Sugar Intake Linked to Lower Chronic Disease Risk, Study Finds

Reducing sugar intake during the first 1,000 days of life may decrease the risk of chronic diseases, according to a wartime study. Researchers from the University of Southern California, the University of California, Berkeley, and McGill University in Canada used a UK database to investigate the long-term effects of sugar consumption from early childhood.

Sugar Rationing and Health Outcomes

The study analyzed data from 60,183 people born between 1951 and 1956, assessing the relationship between health and wartime sugar rationing in the UK.Between 1940 and 1953, authorities limited sugar consumption to 41 grams per day for adults and prohibited it entirely for children under two.

After rationing ended, sugar intake rose again.

University of Southern California economist Tadeja Gracner pointed out that studying the lifelong effects of sugar is challenging since it’s rare to track groups exposed to different nutritional environments from birth. The end of rationing provided a “natural experiment” to assess sugar’s impact on disease development.

Reduced Diabetes and Hypertension Risk

Data showed that children exposed to sugar rationing in their first 1,000 days had, on average, a 35% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and a 20% lower risk of hypertension in adulthood.

Researchers observed this effect even in children whose mothers were pregnant during rationing, suggesting a significant impact on future health.

Claire Boone, an economist at McGill University, noted that the rationing guidelines for sugar resemble today’s recommendations, suggesting that following these guidelines could benefit children’s health. Although promising, the researchers acknowledge they cannot claim that reduced sugar alone caused these health benefits, as other cultural factors also changed from the 1950s.

The next step in the research is to investigate potential links between sugar consumption and other diseases, such as cancer. University of California, Berkeley economist Paul Gertler suggested that sugar should be viewed as the “new tobacco” and that it would be prudent to hold food industries accountable for reformulating baby foods. Additionally, he recommended regulating and taxing the marketing of sugary foods targeted at children.

Raed the original article on: Science Alert

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