Limited sugar intake during the first years of a baby’s life is linked to a lower risk of several heart diseases in adulthood, including heart attack, heart failure and stroke, according to a study published in the journal The BMJ.

Studies have shown that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception up to about the two years old, are a time when diet can have long-term effects on health.

Leading health organizations recommend avoiding sugary drinks and highly processed foods as babies enter solid foods.

The study

In this particular study, the researchers used data from 63,433 participants in the UK Biobank database, born between October 1951 and March 1956 in the United Kingdom, without a history of heart disease.

A pivotal point in this period was the abolition of sugar rationing in Britain in 1953, an austerity measure imposed during World War II. As the researchers note, during the sugar rationing period, the sugar allowance for everyone was limited to less than 40 grams per day, while no added sugars were allowed for infants under two, restrictions that are in line with modern dietary recommendations.

40,063 participants had experienced restrictions on sugar intake, while 23,370 had not. An external control group of non-UK-born adults who had not experienced sugar restriction was also assessed for more reliable comparisons.

The results show that greater exposure to sugar restriction was associated with progressively lower cardiovascular risks in adulthoodin part due to reduced risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Specifically, those who experienced sugar restriction in the first years of their lives had 20% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, 25% reduced risk of heart attack, 26% of heart failure, 24% of atrial fibrillation, 31% of stroke and 27% of cardiovascular death. The greatest protection was seen in people whose sugar intake was restricted from the womb until about age two.

It is noted that this is an observational study, so no definitive conclusions about cause and effect can be made, and the authors acknowledge several limitations, such as the lack of detailed individual dietary data. However, they emphasize that it is a large and well-designed study that allowed them to explore the potential pathways linking sugar restriction to cardiovascular outcomes.