Cutting sugar in your baby’s first 1,000 days could change their life forever: British study

A groundbreaking British study reveals that limiting sugar intake from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday can slash their risk of type 2 diabetes by 35% and high blood pressure by 20%.

Here's the backstory to this fascinating research:

Long-term data

In 1953, the UK finally got its sweet tooth back. After years of rationing candies and sugar during and after World War II, the government lifted sugar rationing in September 1953.

The citizens’ sweet cravings were unleashed.

Hordes flocked to candy stores. Within a year, and sugar consumption tripled as people sweetened their food at home to their hearts’ content.​

This dietary shift was "historic". Now, it has provided scientists a unique window into how early-life sugar consumption affects long-term health.

By combining food surveys and sugar sales data from the 1950s with medical records from the UK Biobank, the researchers crunched a vast database containing health histories of tens of thousands of British adults.

What the team found

They then compared health outcomes of individuals conceived or born before and after sugar rationing ended ​

What the team found was fascinating: those conceived or born after 1953 faced significantly higher risks of type 2 diabetes and hypertension decades later, compared to those born during wartime and post-war "rationing".

These findings, published in the journal Science, show that sugar’s negative effects begin as early as infancy, with lasting consequences on health well into adulthood.​

“It’s a fascinating study,” says Edward Gregg, an epidemiologist at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland told Science.

“Although we’ve long understood the link between sugar intake and diabetes risk, having a natural experiment where an entire population experienced a drastic dietary restriction followed by a sudden reversal—and then seeing the impact on diabetes and hypertension—is pretty profound.”​

A look into the first 1,000 days

The first 1,000 days of life — from conception through a child’s second birthday— can profoundly shape lifelong metabolism and brain function.

Not only that: Cutting sugar in the first 1,000 days of a baby's life significantly reduces the risk of developing serious adult health issues, researchers have found.

'Natural experiment'

The landmark study took advantage of the “natural experiment” (or "quasi experiment") in the UK when sugar rationing ended in September 1953, causing sugar consumption to nearly double overnight from 41g to 80g per day per person.

Using UK Biobank data on people who were or were not exposed to sugar rationing in utero and early in life, the authors (Gracner et al.) demonstrated a protective effect of this rationing against the later development of type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

"Rationing restricted sugar intake to levels within current dietary guidelines, and consumption nearly doubled immediately after rationing ended," the authors wrote.

Using an "event study" design with UK Biobank data comparing adults conceived just before or after rationing ended, reaserchers found that "early-life rationing reduced type 2 diabetes and hypertension risk by about 35%, and 20% delayed disease onset by 4 and 2 years, respectively."

"Protection was evident with in-utero exposure and increased with postnatal sugar restriction, especially after 6 months, when eating of solid foods likely began. In-utero sugar rationing alone accounted for about one-third of the risk reduction,"

The study then analysed the end of sugar rationing in post-war Britain.

It found that babies exposed to less sugar during their first 1,000 days of life enjoyed massively better health as adults.

Researchers found:

• a 35% reduction in type 2 diabetes risk

• a 20% drop in hypertension among those conceived during rationing.

• The onset of these diseases was delayed by several years compared to those born just after rationing ended, when sugar consumption nearly doubled.

Metabolism

Experts believe this crucial early window is crucial for shaping:

• etabolism,

• taste preferences, and

• chronic disease risk.

While diet and lifestyle changes over time can influence risk, limiting sugar early offers a powerful shield, the researchers found.

Poorer cognitive performance

Here's how excess sugar intake during early life can adversely affects brain development.

High sugar diets can cause inflammation and oxidative stress damaging the hippocampus, a critical brain region for learning and memory.

Childhood sugar consumption is linked to poorer cognitive performance in adulthood, suggesting that early sugar exposure not only programs metabolism but also the brain’s capacity. ​

Avoiding added sugars for children under two is crucial. This means steering clear of treats like ice cream, desserts, and sweetened formulas that often contain corn syrup, glucose, or sucrose.

Even fruit juices and flavoured toddler drinks tend to be loaded with added sugars and should be replaced with water, whole milk, and whole fruits to promote healthy taste preferences that minimize lifelong cravings for sweets. ​

Takeaways

• It is generally accepted that early-life nutrition affects later-life metabolic health.

• Turns out curbing added sugars during the first 1,000 days offers a powerful opportunity to reduce chronic disease risk and support optimal brain development, setting the foundation for a healthier life.​ ​

• Ressearch from institutions such as Harvard and the UK Biobank database study show that sugar is far from harmless in early childhood.