*A recent study shows that reduced sugar intake during the first 1,000 days after conception lowers a child’s risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure later in life.
The study published in Science on Oct. 31 found that people who consumed less sugar in early childhood were 20% less likely to develop high blood pressure and had a 35% reduced chance of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as adults.
“We examined the impact of sugar exposure within 1,000 days since conception on diabetes and hypertension,” the researchers wrote. “…We found that early-life [sugar] rationing reduced diabetes and hypertension risk.”
“In-utero sugar rationing alone accounted for about one-third of the risk reduction,” the study authors wrote, per PEOPLE.
Researchers from the University of Southern California, McGill University, and UC Berkeley analyzed health data from around 60,000 individuals in the UK. They compared those born during WWII-era sugar rationing (when sugar intake was restricted to about 40-80 grams per day) with those born in the postwar period after rationing ended. The results showed that limited sugar intake in early life had lasting health benefits.
“Exposure to a relatively low-sugar environment in utero and early childhood significantly reduces the diabetes and hypertension risk decades later, as well as delays their onset,” Tadeja Gračner, a researcher from USC who co-authored the study told The Guardian.
The CDC recommends that children under two years of age avoid added sugars and children over two should limit added sugar to under 25 grams daily.
“We all want to improve our health and give our children the best start in life, and reducing added sugar early is a powerful step in that direction. But it’s far from easy,” Gračner told The Guardian. “Added sugar is everywhere, even in baby and toddler foods, and children are bombarded with TV ads for sugary snacks.”
“While improving nutritional literacy among parents and caregivers is key, we should also hold companies accountable to reformulate baby foods with healthier options and regulate the marketing and pricing of sugary foods targeted at kids,” Gračner added. “With better information, environment and the right incentives, parents can more easily reduce sugar exposure for their kids and themselves.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Popular Weight Loss and Diabetes Drugs Linked to Increased Risk of Rare Form of Blindness | WATCH
