A new study, published in The BMJ, has found that limited sugar consumption during the first 1,000 days of life (from conception to approximately 2 years of age) is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.
The study uses a unique natural experiment method. In the post-World War II period, a sugar rationing system was in effect in the United Kingdom until September 1953. This meant that the daily sugar consumption for the population, including pregnant women and young children, was strictly limited (less than 40 grams per day). After the rationing ended, sugar consumption doubled.
Scientists analyzed data from tens of thousands of adults who were born immediately before, or after, the end of rationing. This allowed them to compare two nearly identical groups: one that received a small amount of sugar during the critical, early phase of life (from conception to 2 years) and a second that already consumed sugar without restriction during this period.
According to the study, individuals born during the sugar rationing period had significantly lower risks in adulthood: they had a 20% lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, 25% lower risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack), 26% lower risk of heart failure, and 31% lower risk of stroke compared to those who were not affected by rationing.
It was established that the longer the sugar restriction lasted in early life, the greater the cardiovascular protective effect, resulting in cardiovascular diseases starting on average 2.5 years later in individuals who were subject to rationing.
The study’s results underscore the fact that the first 1,000 days of life are a crucial period that can reduce the risk of chronic diseases in the long term.
