A recent study published in the journal Science shows that limiting sugar consumption in mothers during pregnancy and in children during the first two years of life can reduce long-term health risks.
Analyzing the effects of food rationing imposed during World War II in the United Kingdom, researchers demonstrated that sugar deprivation during gestation and the first two years of life significantly reduced the risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension in adulthood.
A study of post-war food rationing
Between 1940 and 1953, the United Kingdom imposed severe rationing of food, including sugar, due to supply difficulties during the war. Pregnant women and children were subject to strict sugar rations, with portions reduced significantly: around 15 g of sugar per day for children, and no sugar for infants under 2 years old. After rationing was lifted in September 1953, sugar consumption doubled rapidly, creating a unique opportunity to study the impact of low sugar consumption on long-term health.
Risk of chronic diseases
The study compared two groups of adults aged 51 to 66: those who were born before the end of rationing (and therefore exposed to low amounts of sugar during pregnancy and the early years) and those who were born after 1953. The results show that people who were deprived of sugar during this period had a 35% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and a 20% lower chance of suffering from hypertension as adults. In addition, sugar deprivation delayed the onset of diabetes by 4 years and that of hypertension by 2 years.
Long-term health effects
Researchers explain that this reduction in risk is linked to several factors. Diets high in sugar during pregnancy and the early years of life can lead to insulin resistance, a key contributor to diabetes, as well as an increased propensity for obesity. Additionally, early exposure to sugar could create a lasting preference for sweet foods, which encourages excessive consumption throughout life. This early preference for sugar appears to play an important role in the development of metabolic diseases.
WHO recommendations
The study confirms the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), which advises limiting the consumption of added sugar as much as possible, particularly in children under 2 years old. However, researchers point out that it is increasingly difficult to implement these recommendations, due to the omnipresence of sugar in modern diets, including in infant formula and children’s foods. Claire Boone, co-author of the study, emphasizes the importance of reading food labels to avoid excess added sugar. Researchers are also calling for stricter regulations on added sugar in food products, particularly for infants and young children. Thus, in Canada, there is no legislation governing the addition of sugar to baby foods. At the same time, initiatives such as taxes on sugary products, observed in California and Mexico, could help limit excessive sugar consumption.
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