Consuming less sugar before birth and during the first one to two years of life was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia later, according to a study published July 29 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found that reduced sugar intake early in life was also linked to a delay in developing dementia.
Researchers examined 64,737 people born before and after World War II sugar rationing in the United Kingdom. Sugar rationing occurred during and after the war, ending when it became widely available again in 1953. Participants were grouped based on their exposure to sugar rationing: before birth and during their first year, before birth and up to two years old, or no exposure at all.
Starting at an average age of 55, participants' medical records were reviewed for dementia diagnoses over up to 15 years. Of those who experienced sugar rationing before birth and during their first year, 388 out of 15,025 developed dementia. Among those exposed through their first two years, 456 out of 15,256 developed dementia. In contrast, among those born after rationing ended, 504 out of 23,774 developed dementia.
After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, high blood pressure and diabetes status, researchers said that individuals exposed to sugar rationing before birth and up to one year old had a 21% lower risk of developing dementia compared with those born after rationing ended. Those exposed through their second year had a 23% lower risk. Lower early-life sugar levels were also associated with an average delay of onset by about 2.6 years.
A subset underwent brain scans showing that people with less early-life sugar consumption had higher total gray matter volume and fewer white matter hyperintensities—a marker for brain tissue damage.
"Limiting added sugars during pregnancy and infancy may be one beneficial step that families and communities can take, but further research is needed to better understand how these early exposures influence dementia risk and to guide public health strategies," Zheng said.
The authors noted that the study's observational design relied on historical events rather than following participants prospectively.
