By Sam Tupper of CNN[1].
The holidays are upon us and a child’s sweet tooth can easily indulge. However, new research shows that limiting the amount of sugar young children ingest may be a good idea.
A study published Friday in the journal Science shows that reducing sugar in the first 1,000 days after conception – from pregnancy to age 2 – can lower the risk of chronic disease in adulthood.
The researchers found that reducing sugar consumption during this period reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 35% and the risk of high blood pressure by about 20%. They also found a delay in disease onset of four and two years, respectively.
The research team looked at data from before and after the end of sugar rationing in the United Kingdom during World War II in September 1953.
In January 1940, the United Kingdom began rationing to allow a “fair share” of food for the country during the wartime shortage, according to Imperial War Museums. Access to foods such as sugar, fats, bacon, meat and cheese was restricted.
When sugar and candy rationing ended in September 1953, the daily sugar consumption of the average adult in Britain doubled almost immediately, from about 40 grams to 80 grams.
The researchers looked at health data from the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research source that tracks people for long periods of time, of about 60,183 participants born between October 1951 and March 1956, before and after the end of rationing, to determine the effects of such a large increase in sugar consumption.
“Sugar rationing created an interesting natural experiment,” said Tadeja Gracner, lead author of the study and senior economist at the Center for Economics and Social Research at the University of Southern California.
The analysis of a six-year period showed a 30% decrease in the risk of obesity for babies conceived or born during rationing, with faster increases in type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure in babies born after sugar rationing ended.
The study also found that limiting sugar consumption in utero and early life can reduce a “lifelong preference” for sweets, with rationing in utero alone accounting for about one-third of the risk reduction.
“We are designed to like sweet things from the moment of birth,” said Dr. Mark Corkins, chief of the department of pediatric gastroenterology and professor of pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, who was not involved in the new study.
For centuries, he said, people turned to fruit to satisfy their sweet cravings while getting vitamins and minerals. Now sugar is so refined and concentrated that most people prefer a piece of chocolate cake to a peach, he said. These high levels of consumption quickly damage our bodies.
“When you consume more sugar, it changes the way your metabolism works and you start storing it,” Corkins said. “We were designed to store food for periods of famine. We don’t have periods of famine anymore, so now we store it as fat.”
The amount of sugar consumed in the U.S. is “extremely high,” he noted.
According to the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-25, everyone age 2 or older should limit their daily intake of added sugar to less than 10 percent of their total calories. Following these guidelines can be difficult, Gracner said.
“Sugar is added everywhere, even in baby and toddler foods, and children are bombarded with TV ads for sugary snacks,” Gracner said. “While improving nutrition knowledge among parents and caregivers is important, we must also hold companies accountable for reformulating baby food with healthier options and regulate the marketing and pricing of sugary foods aimed at children.”
The researchers say in the new study that pregnant and breastfeeding women consume on average more than three times the recommended amount of added sugar, more than 80 grams per day.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also warns that many children ages 1 to 5 do not get enough fruits and vegetables daily, but do regularly consume sugary drinks.
Corkins says one way for parents to reduce sugar consumption in young children is to change their own habits.
“Parents have the biggest influence,” he says. “They see what their parents eat, and children tend to eat like their parents. If you want your child to learn better habits, you have to set an example for those habits yourself.”
Other ways to reduce sugar consumption include replacing sugary drinks with healthier alternatives or eliminating them altogether, and avoiding sugary junk foods and drinks at home, where they can be more tempting. The key is moderation when consuming sugary foods.
“We all want to improve our health and give our children the best start in life. Reducing added sugars early is a powerful step in that direction,” Gracner said. “With better information, a better environment and the right incentives, parents can more easily reduce sugar exposure, for children and for themselves.”
[1] Tupper, S. (2024, Nov. 4). Sugar in the first 1,000 days after conception linked to health issues later in life, study says. CNN.
