Limiting sugar intake during pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life may be associated with a lower risk of developing dementia later in life, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. The research examined the health records of over 64,000 individuals in the United Kingdom.
Researchers found that individuals exposed to less sugar before birth and during their first year of life had a 21% lower risk of dementia. This association strengthened to a 23% lower risk for those whose sugar intake remained limited through their second year of life. Additionally, those with lower early-life sugar exposure developed dementia an average of 2.6 years later than individuals who consumed more sugar.
"Our findings suggest that limiting sugar during the earliest stages of life may have lasting benefits for brain health," stated Jiazhen Zheng, a study author from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in a press release.
While the study highlights an association, researchers noted it does not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship. The study used historical sugar rationing policies as a proxy for individual sugar intake and could not fully account for other potential differences between the groups, such as overall nutrition and calorie intake. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, who was not involved in the study, cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions, citing the difficulty in isolating sugar as the sole factor.
However, health experts generally advise pregnant women to consume the healthiest foods possible to support their own health and their baby's development. Recommendations include focusing on minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fermented dairy products, and fish, while limiting ultra-processed foods high in sugar, starch, and salt.