A recent study published in Science in October 2024 highlighted the fundamental importance of reduce added sugars in the diet both for the mother during pregnancy and for the newborns, for their long-term health. Research has found that exposure to sugars during the first 1000 days (from conception to the end of the second year of life) has a impact significant on the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Previous studies have already highlighted that diet during early childhood influences health in adulthood. Which was more difficult to prove (as also pointed out in a note from the editor of Science) was the impact of specific nutrients difficult to analyze separately.
The authors of the article were inspired by data from a spontaneous experiment carried out in the United Kingdom during the rationing of sugar after the Second World War and the abrupt cessation of this restriction in 1953. The results of this study recall the importance of adopting an integrated approach in medicine that is not limited only to to watch diagnostic tests (for early diagnosis) or to use chemical drugs (for secondary prevention), but which emphasizes improvement of lifestyle, especially with regard to nutritional adequacy.
Integrated Medicine, which combines the best practices of Conventional Medicine with those of a healthy lifestyle, always defended by Unconventional Medicine, can offer a global approach to health. This angle of view takes into account not only diet, but also other factors such as environment,physical activitysleep and emotional well-being… and offers, when necessary, supplements or nutraceuticals adapted to remedy current nutritional deficiencies and to reinforce the antioxidant, probiotic and/or postbiotic effects.
Based on my personal experience, both in consultation and through special video conferences that I organize to teach parents the most effective and scientifically validated elements to establish a true Main PreventionI noticed that the Integrated Medicine approach really makes it possible to improve the health of many children, who ultimately are less sick and also consume fewer medications, with positive consequences. The goal is to strengthen the entire body, particularly its immune systemthe imbalance of which predisposes to various diseases.
-This is also supported by a 2020 Italian study which states that “poor maternal nutritional conditions during fetal development and early childhood can lead to short- and long-term effects, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases”. An imbalance in maternal nutrition influences fetal development “leading to changes irreversible; …the child’s body will retain the memory of this early stress and an adaptive response will result in future pathologies”. An Integrated Medicine model therefore not only reduces the risk of diabetes and hypertension in adulthood, but of a majority of chronic dismetabolic, cardiovascular, infectious, autoimmune and even neoplastic diseases.
In conclusion, it is really crucial to limit added sugars in the diet of newborns and children in general. This goal can be achieved if we, doctors, engage (more than we already do) in better education nutritionalby promoting natural and unprocessed foods, and if the Ministry of Health adopts policies that better guide the food choices of the population and limit advertising on “low quality foods”, with the aim not only of reducing expenditure medical, but above all to guarantee a healthier future for new generations.
In short, this article raises essential questions about nutrition from early childhood and the importance of informed medical monitoring. Public health challenges related to nutrition deserve increased attention, both from health professionals and public policies, in order to guarantee a better future for our children. What role can we play as a society in encouraging healthy food choices from the start?
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