Low-sugar diet in pregnancy and early childhood may cut dementia risk by 46%, study finds

Eating less sugar during pregnancy and a child's first two years may support long-term brain health and significantly lower the risk of developing dementia later in life.

Low-sugar diet in pregnancy (Image AI Generated)

The effect of diets enjoyed in the first years of life on our brain could be much stronger than we realize. Decades later, this study indicates that a diet low in sugar during pregnancy and in the first two years of life may go a long way to significantly lower the risk of dementia developing later in life.

Now, researchers have argued that the first 1,000 days from conception to approximately two years of age is a very important period in a child's life for brain development. A nutritionally sound diet during this time could potentially decrease risk later in life for age-related diseases of the brain.

What did the study find?

The results are based on a population-based study of 33,465 individuals, called "Early-life sugar rationing, brain aging, and long-term neurodegenerative and psychiatric health outcomes: a population-based natural experiment study", published in Nature npj Aging. More than 60,000 scientists from across the UK Biobank who were born in or after Britain's sugar rationing from the end of WWII have had their health records analysed.

The study found that people who were exposed to lower sugar intake during pregnancy and their first two years of life had:

• 27% lower risk of all-cause dementia
• 46% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease
• 11% lower risk of depression
• 20% lower risk of anxiety

They also noted slower brain ageing in the brain images; structures that are better for memory and learning formation are also healthier.

What do health experts say?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) advises limiting the intake of free sugars in the diet over the life course and encourages healthy eating patterns from infancy onwards to prevent obesity and other chronic diseases.

In the same way, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that parents steer their under 2s clear of extra sugars because childhood eating patterns may be associated with a lifetime of health impacts.

The National Institutes of Health also go on to point out that "lifestyle choices, such as healthy eating, are important to maintaining brain health and could help reduce the risk of cognitive aging.

Can healthy eating reduce dementia risk?

Many factors influence risk to dementia: Age, Genetics, Physical activity, sleep, Cardio-health, education. While diet alone won't prevent dementia, it's one of the factors listed among modifiable risk factors.

Other studies have found that overall healthy diets (like the Mediterranean Diet and the MIND Diet) are linked to better cognitive health, but not all long-term studies have concluded that they actually cut the risk of dementia.

According to the new research, the impact of food or exposure to food early in life and before birth could impact health of the brain decades later. However, further research is required to establish a cause and effect, but the contentions emphasize the need for balanced nutrition in the earliest stages of life.

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