A recent study published in Science highlights the important role low sugar intake In reducing the risk of chronic diseases during pregnancy and in the first two years of life into adulthood. This groundbreaking research shows that children with restricted sugar exposure in the first 1,000 days – from conception to two years of age – may have a significantly reduced risk of stunting. type 2 diabetes And high blood pressure later in life. The findings demonstrate long-term health benefits of sugar moderation in early development, providing a foundation for interventions targeting early childhood nutrition.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, McGill University in Montreal, and the University of California, Berkeley, shows a meaningful relationship between increased and decreased sugar consumption in early life. Is. Risk of chronic disease. Children who limited sugar intake during this critical period were found to have a 35 percent lower risk of type 2. diabetes And the risk of high blood pressure is reduced by 20 percent in adulthood. While maternal sugar reduction alone was beneficial, longer periods of restriction after birth enhanced the positive outcomes.

To understand how sugar intake in early life affects long-term health, researchers used data from a unique period during World War II when the United Kingdom imposed sugar rationing from 1942 to 1953. During this time, daily sugar consumption was limited to about eight teaspoons. (40 g), a significant reduction from post-rationing levels which increased to about 16 teaspoons (80 g) per day.

The sudden change in sugar availability after 1953 created a “natural experiment” in which individuals conceived or born before the rationing ended had much lower sugar exposure than those born later. This allowed the researchers to compare the midlife health of adults with different sugar intake levels in childhood, while taking into account various socio-economic and lifestyle factors. Using medical data from the UK Biobank, researchers tracked more than 18,500 individuals born around the period when sugar rationing ended.

conclusion

The study results indicated that people who were exposed to lower sugar levels during their first 1,000 days saw a significantly reduced risk of adult chronic disease. Those who conceived during rationing were less likely to develop diabetes or high blood pressure and, if they did develop these conditions, experienced an average delay of four years for diabetes and two years for high blood pressure.

Study co-authors, Claire Boone of McGill University and the University of Chicago, emphasized the importance of these findings: “Parents need information about what works, and this study provides some of the first causal evidence. “Reducing added sugar early in life is a powerful step toward improving children’s health throughout their lives.”

The results of the study have important implications for public health. According to researchers, diabetes-related health care costs in the United States alone average $12,000 per patient annually. Additionally, the onset of diabetes in younger individuals often reduces life expectancy – with each decade diagnosed earlier with type 2 diabetes reducing life expectancy by three to four years. Thus, prevention or delay of these diseases can translate into substantial health care savings, improved quality of life, and extended life span.

Co-author Paul Gertler of UC Berkeley advocates for regulatory reforms, saying, “Sugar early in life is the new tobacco, and we need to hold food companies accountable for reformulating baby foods with healthier alternatives and regulating marketing and taxing them.” It should be treated.” Sweet foods targeted at children.”

This study highlights the challenge parents face in controlling sugar intake for young children due to the prevalence of added sugars in infant and toddler diets. Additionally, children are often exposed to marketing that promotes sugary snacks, complicating efforts to maintain low sugar consumption.

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