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Limiting sugar consumption during the first two years of life may significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia later in life, according to a new study that adds to growing evidence highlighting the importance of early childhood nutrition.
Researchers found that people who spent their infancy under the UK’s post-war sugar rationing system had a 23 per cent lower risk of dementia and were diagnosed with the condition around two-and-a-half years later than those exposed to higher sugar intake from an early age.
The findings, published in the journal Neurology, are based on an analysis of nearly 65,000 participants in the UK Biobank and draw on what researchers describe as a “natural experiment” created by the end of sugar rationing in Britain after the Second World War.
Sugar rationing ended in September 1953, leading to a dramatic rise in consumption. Researchers estimate average daily sugar intake almost doubled overnight, increasing from around 41 grams, equivalent to about 10 sugar cubes, to approximately 80 grams, or 20 sugar cubes.
Scientists from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology compared people born before and after the rationing ended to examine whether early-life exposure to different sugar levels had lasting effects on brain health.
“Our findings suggest that limiting sugar during the earliest stages of life may have lasting benefits for brain health,” said lead researcher Jiazhen Zheng.
The study builds on earlier research that linked the end of sugar rationing to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and elevated blood pressure later in life, suggesting that nutrition during the first 1,000 days, from conception to around a child’s second birthday, can have lifelong health consequences.
However, the researchers cautioned that the study establishes an association rather than proving that sugar directly causes dementia. They said further research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms involved.
Independent experts also urged caution in interpreting the findings.
Rachel Richardson, Methods Support Unit Lead at Cochrane, an independent organisation that evaluates medical evidence, described the research as intriguing but said it was far from conclusive.
“They may be onto something,” she said, adding that the study does not represent a “smoking gun” linking sugar intake in infancy with dementia decades later.
One major limitation, she noted, is that researchers could not determine how much sugar each participant actually consumed. Instead, the study inferred likely exposure based on whether participants were born before or after sugar rationing ended.
Richardson also pointed out that infant feeding practices in the 1940s and 1950s differed considerably from those of today, making it difficult to apply the findings directly to modern children.
Prof Ian Maidment, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at Aston University, echoed the need for caution, saying many other factors over the past 80 years could have influenced participants’ brain health.
“It is an interesting idea and helps inform debate, but we need more evidence,” he said.
Dr Sara Rodrigues of Alzheimer’s Research UK stressed that the study was observational and therefore could not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
Although more research is needed, health experts continue to recommend limiting added sugar in young children’s diets as part of a balanced nutritional approach. The World Health Organization also advises reducing free sugar consumption throughout life to lower the risk of obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. Source: BBC News