Is your fridge stuffed with sweets during the festive season? Better keep your toddlers and pregnant ladies away from it. A study published in the reputed international journal Science says having a sweet tooth in childhood, especially in the first two years of life, increases the risk of diabetes and blood pressure in adults.
The associated risks increase if pregnant women consumed too much sugar. The study showed exposure to more sugar in the womb had a bearing on developing the said chronic diseases later in life as adults.
The results were published after analysing the data collected from about 60,000 people conceived between 1951 and 1956, before and after the rationing of sugar treats ended in 1953 in the United Kingdom. The researchers examined the impact of sugar exposure within 1000 days since a baby is conceived-which includes 9 months of pregnancy and the first two years of life.
The researchers from the University of Southern California’s Centre for Economic and Social Research said that while the sugar intake conformed to the current dietary guidelines during the restrictions, but doubled after the rationing ended.
Using UK Biobank data the researchers found that people conceived and born during the rationing period who did not eat excess sugar as toddlers had 35 per cent less risk of getting diabetes and 20 per cent less risk for hypertension. It also delayed the disease onset by two to four years. The risk was further reduced to one-third among those whose mothers consumed less sugar during pregnancy.
What does the study add?
Although this is not the first time that childhood diet has been linked to chronic illness in adults, experts say the study offers valuable insights into how poor diet can impact human life from a very early stage. It also shows how crucial the window from conception to the first two years of life is.
"A natural experiment arising from UK's sugar rationing period offers valuable insight into early life sugar exposure. The findings include a 35 per cent reduction in diabetes and a 20 per cent reduction in hypertension among those exposed to rationing are important in today's context, considering the continuous debate on the ill-effects of sugar," says Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman, Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences.
The researchers said the sugar restrictions imposed during the Second World War are comparable to today’s dietary guidelines.
However, Dr Misra says caution is needed in its interpretation.
"Caution is needed in its interpretation as the 1950s dietary environment includes various nutrients beyond sugar-differ markedly from the present," he added.
Despite this limitation, Dr Misra says "replicating such a study in the future may prove challenging, underlying the importance of incorporating these findings into all dietary considerations".
How much sugar should be taken daily?
Experts say the amount of sugar that is safe to eat per day may depend on your total caloric intake, activity level, and other factors. In general, the advice is to avoid added sugars and try to derive sugars that are present naturally in foods like vegetables and fruits.
According to the American Heart Association, the maximum amount of sugar to be used daily should not exceed 35 gms in men and 25 gms in women.
The researchers say sugar needs not be completely cut from the diet of pregnant women and children but natural sugars should be preferred to the added ones. So when your grandma advises you not to add that extra spoon of sugar to your toddler's milk, you should listen.
