Researchers exploit the end of World War II sugar rationing to examine the link between limited sugar exposure up to age two and health problems as adults.
Introduction
Many of the foods we enjoy have added sugars. Added sugars are sugars that aren’t present naturally, but added to food later when it is prepared. For example, fruit like a banana has sugar naturally present, but fruit yogurt or breakfast cereals often have sugar added to them. From conception until the age of two, dietary guidelines recommend zero added sugars. But many foods or drinks that pregnant mothers, babies, and toddlers consume are high in added sugars. For example, by the time children in the USA are two years old, they eat an average of 6–7 teaspoons (25–29 grams) of added sugar a day.
Animal studies show a link between high sugar levels early in life and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that makes it difficult for the body to regulate blood sugar levels. When blood sugar is high for a long time, it can cause circulatory, nervous, and immune system issues. Excess sugar is also linked to hypertension. Hypertension occurs when someone’s blood pressure is too high. Long-term hypertension can lead to heart attack or a stroke.
We wanted to use human data to support the link between sugar and these two diseases. So we conducted an event study. The event was the end of sugar rationing in the United Kingdom after World War II. Between 1940 and 1953, people could only have small amounts of sugar because it was in low supply. We hypothesized that people conceived or born before the end of sugar rationing were less likely to have type 2 diabetes and hypertension as adults. And if these diseases did develop, we expected them to start later.
Methods
We used a survey with 60,183 people born between October 1951 and March 1956 in the UK. We classified people born before July 1954 as rationed. We classified people born after July 1954 as never rationed. We used a subset of the never rationed group as a control. Then, we divided the rationed category into smaller groups. We based these groups on how long the person experienced rationing. Then we analyzed the data to see who had type 2 diabetes and hypertension. We also examined how old the person was when diagnosed with these conditions.
We then calculated a ratio. This number compared the likelihood of getting the disease between the rationed group and the never rationed control group.
When the ratio was greater than 1, the rationed group was more likely to get the disease.
When the ratio was less than 1, the rationed group was less likely to get the disease.
When the ratio was 1, the groups had an equal chance of getting the disease.
Results
We saw that as the length of sugar rationing increased, the less likely people were to get diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hypertension later in life (Fig. 1). For a person who experienced sugar rationing from pregnancy to age two, the ratio was 0.62 for type 2 diabetes. It was 0.79 for hypertension.
There was also a delay in the start of these diseases. Type 2 diabetes started 4 years later for people who experienced sugar rationing until age two compared to those never rationed. There was a 2-year delay for people diagnosed with hypertension.
Discussion
Our study showed that having less sugar early in life may benefit a person’s health as an adult. Adults who had sugar rationing exposure before age 2 had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. That means people who probably ate less sugar early in life were less likely to develop these diseases later in life. And when people did develop these diseases, they started later.
Our analysis adds to the growing evidence that limiting added sugars during pregnancy and early childhood is important for health. Eating sugar early in life can cause a preference for sweet foods. When people prefer sweet foods as children, they are more likely to have high sugar diets into adulthood. That means that they tend to eat more sugar than recommended throughout their life.
We recommend more research to determine the exact pathways to these effects as well as what amount of added sugar is the best at each stage of life.
Conclusion
What you eat when you are young may affect your health when you are an adult. That means it is important at every stage of life to balance your diet. You need to be careful when selecting your foods. Always make sure to check the nutrition labels on foods. These labels tell you the amount of added sugars and other nutrients per serving. This information can help you limit the number of foods high in added sugars that you eat. You can also replace such foods with fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Eating these healthier alternatives provides your body with the nutrients it needs to grow and be healthy.
