Early-Life Sugar Rationing Reduces Risk of Later-Life Dementia
A new study indicates that sugar rationing for under-twos - and even unborn babies - may ward off cognitive decline in old age.
Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology analysed data from almost 65,000 people taking part in the UK Biobank and concluded that "Excess sugar intake in early life may affect long-term brain health." Their study used the end of World War II's sugar rationing in Britain as a "natural experiment" to test whether exposure to sugar in the first 1,000 days from conception might be linked to dementia or Alzheimer’s. When sugar rationing concluded in September 1953, average sugar consumption was estimated to go from around 41g a day (10 sugar cubes) to 80g (20 sugar cubes) almost immediately.
As a result of their analysis of the Biobank data, the scientists now believe that rationing sugar in utero and before two years of age could lead to a 23 percent lower risk of dementia and delay the onset by 2.6 years.
In the study's summary, researchers said: "Sugar restriction in the first 1,000 days was associated with lower dementia hazards, delayed onset, and more favourable brain-health profiles. These results support early-life sugar reduction as a potential strategy for dementia prevention."
The study cannot provide definitive proof, but experts say a healthy diet is good for the brain anyway. Indeed, according to American Academy of Neurology, people with less sugar in early life had higher total gray matter volume, better test scores in thinking and processing speed tasks.
