A new study has found that lower sugar intake during the first two years of life may reduce the risk of dementia decades later.
Zheng’s team analyzed the impact of sugar rationing in the U.K. during and after World War II.
Using data from nearly 65,000 participants in the UK Biobank born before and during sugar rationing, the researchers classified them into people who experienced sugar rationing before birth and until the first two years of life, and people who experienced no sugar rationing during this period.
After adjusting for age, sex, and health factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, results showed that those who experienced sugar rationing until age two had a 23% lower risk of dementia compared to people born after sugar rationing.
Among those who developed dementia, lower sugar intake early in life was associated with an average delay in the onset of dementia of 2.6 years.
A new study has found that lower sugar intake during the first two years of life may reduce the risk of dementia decades later. Although the findings, published in the Neurology journal, do not establish a causal relationship, they add to growing evidence that a healthy diet early in life can have a significant impact on long-term health.
“Our findings suggest that limiting sugar during the earliest stages of life may have lasting benefits for brain health,” said Jiazhen Zheng, PhD, researcher at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and lead author of the study. “These results highlight the potential importance of early-life nutrition in reducing the risk of dementia decades later.”
The first 1,000 days of the life of a child—from birth to age two—are critical to shape their health later in life. A healthy diet during this period is known to have a positive impact on brain health down the line, but no other study had looked into a potential link with dementia.
Zheng’s team analyzed the impact of sugar rationing in the U.K. during and after World War II. When sugar rationing ended in 1953, average sugar consumption in the U.K. was estimated to have abruptly doubled, giving researchers a unique window into the effects of early-life sugar intake on long-term health.
Using data from nearly 65,000 participants in the UK Biobank born before and during sugar rationing, the researchers classified them into people who experienced sugar rationing before birth and until the first two years of life, and people who experienced no sugar rationing during this period. Looking at their medical records, the team determined which participants were diagnosed with dementia later on in life.
After adjusting for age, sex, and health factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, results showed that those who experienced sugar rationing until age two had a 23% lower risk of dementia compared to people born after sugar rationing. Among those who developed dementia, lower sugar intake early in life was associated with an average delay in the onset of dementia of 2.6 years.
The team then looked at brain imaging scans available for a subset of participants and found that sugar rationing early in life was associated with a higher volume of grey matter and a lower volume of white matter hyperintensity, an established marker of tissue damage in the brain. Early-life sugar restriction was also linked to better performance in processing speed and reasoning tasks.
Because this is an observational study, it cannot prove a causal link between diet and the onset of dementia. Brain health is complex and influenced by a myriad of genetic and environmental factors. In this study, type 2 diabetes and hypertension were estimated to account for about 25% of the observed associations. Although findings obtained from studying children born over 70 years ago may not directly apply to today’s population, the results highlight the importance of diet in shaping long-term health.
“Limiting added sugars during pregnancy and infancy may be one beneficial step that families and communities can take, but further research is needed to better understand how these early exposures influence dementia risk and to guide public health strategies,” Zheng said.
