A baby’s diet before birth and during the first two years of life may influence brain health many decades later, according to new research published in Neurology.
The study suggests that people exposed to less sugar during this critical period had a lower risk of developing dementia and developed the condition later in life if it occurred.
Scientists have long believed that the first 1,000 days after conception are one of the most important periods for human development.
During this time, the brain grows rapidly, nerve cells connect with each other, and lifelong patterns of health begin to take shape. Nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood plays a major role in this process.
Today, many diets contain large amounts of added sugar. Sweetened drinks, desserts and processed foods are common sources. While excess sugar is already linked with obesity, diabetes and heart disease, researchers are increasingly interested in whether it may also affect long-term brain health.
To investigate this question, researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology took advantage of a unique period in British history. During and after World War II, sugar was rationed in the United Kingdom. Rationing ended in 1953, leading to a sharp increase in sugar consumption across the country.
The team analysed data from 64,737 people born before and after rationing ended. Participants were grouped according to whether they experienced sugar restriction before birth and during the first year of life, before birth and through the first two years of life, or not at all.
Researchers followed participants from an average age of 55 using medical records for up to 15 years to identify new cases of dementia. They also considered other important factors such as age, sex, high blood pressure and diabetes.
The results showed that people exposed to lower sugar before birth and during their first year had a 21% lower risk of dementia than those born after rationing. Those exposed through their first two years had a 23% lower risk.
Another important finding was that dementia appeared about 2.6 years later in people who had lower sugar exposure early in life. Even a delay of a few years could reduce the number of people living with dementia at any one time.
Brain scans from a smaller group supported these findings. Participants exposed to less sugar early in life had greater grey matter volume and fewer white matter changes that are often linked with ageing and brain disease.
The researchers emphasised that this was an observational study. It cannot prove that reducing sugar directly prevents dementia because many other differences between people born during different periods may also have contributed.
This study adds important evidence that healthy nutrition during pregnancy and infancy may influence brain health throughout life. While more modern studies are needed to confirm the findings, limiting added sugar during early development appears to be a sensible step that may benefit both physical and brain health.
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