Sugar in childhood can affect health even when we are 70 years old

How much sugar a child consumes in the first few years of life may have consequences that last much longer than previously thought. A new study, based on data from more than 64,000 Britons, suggests that low exposure to sugar during the first 1,000 days of life may be linked to a lower risk of some cancers, slower biological aging and healthier eating habits in adulthood.

The researchers took advantage of an unusual historical situation in Britain to analyze this connection. After World War II, sugar was still rationed, but the restrictions were lifted in September 1953. After that, sugar consumption increased significantly.

This created a rare opportunity for research. People born just a few months apart had experienced different levels of sugar exposure, both during their mother's pregnancy and in the first two years of life.

In the study, the period called "the first 1,000 days" includes the time from conception to the age of two. According to the researchers, this is a particularly important stage for the development of organs, metabolism and the immune system, while taste preferences also begin to form during this period.

Less sugar, fewer cases of some types of cancer

By tracking the participants' health records for decades, the researchers observed that those who had spent a greater portion of this period under sugar rationing had lower incidences of five types of cancer.

This includes breast, prostate, liver, rectal and lung cancer.

The link was most pronounced for liver cancer, where researchers reported rates that were about 69% lower. For breast cancer, the reduction was about 36%.

According to the study, the changes did not appear immediately, but were observed decades after the rationing period had ended.

Signs of slower aging

The research didn't just stop at diseases. The researchers also analyzed indicators of biological aging, which is not necessarily the same as chronological age.

One of the indicators used was the length of telomeres, protective structures at the ends of chromosomes that tend to shorten with age.

People who had been exposed to less sugar early in life had longer telomeres. According to the researchers' estimates, the difference was comparable to about 2.2 years of slower biological aging.

Lower levels of the protein granzyme B were also observed, which is linked to immune system activity and may serve as another indicator of cellular aging.

Sugar preference can be formed in childhood

One of the most interesting findings of the study is related to eating habits.

People who had experienced sugar rationing early in life were also reported to consume less sugar by the age of 50. They also had lower overall food intake and more varied diets.

Researchers suggest that this may be related to the fact that exposure to very sweet tastes during early childhood can influence food preferences that are formed later.

According to them, two mechanisms may be at work: a biological influence on the development of metabolism, organs and the immune system, as well as an influence on behavior, through the formation of preferences for sweet foods.

The findings are in line with other research that has used the end of British sugar rationing as a “natural experiment.” Previous studies have linked lower exposure to sugar early in life to lower risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dementia, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and stroke.

However, the researchers emphasize that the results do not mean that children should be completely deprived of sugar, nor that post-war rationing was an ideal policy.