Sugar Restriction in First 1,000 Days from Conception Linked to Lower Risk for Dementia

This study suggests that limiting sugar intake during pregnancy and the first two years of life may be linked to a lower risk of dementia many decades later. Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology examined 64,737 people in the UK Biobank who were born around the time Britain’s post-war sugar rationing ended in 1953. Those who experienced sugar rationing while in the womb and during their first year or two of life were less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in later life than those who were not exposed to rationing.

The researchers found that people exposed to sugar rationing from before birth through their first two years had a roughly 23 percent lower risk of developing dementia overall and a 28 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. They also developed dementia later in life, with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease delayed by almost three years on average. Early-life sugar restriction was additionally associated with healthier brain characteristics and better performance in tests of thinking and reasoning. The researchers noted that the benefits may partly be explained by lower rates of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure later in life.

The study adds to evidence that nutrition during the earliest stages of development can have important consequences for brain health many decades later. The findings are particularly relevant given the high levels of added sugar consumed by children in many countries today.

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