Feeding your baby sugar can lead to mental and physical problems. The damage doesn’t begin when they start eating solid foods, however. According to a new study, reducing consumption of the sweetener should begin at conception — sorry moms — and continue at least 1,000 days after that.
“We all want to improve our health and give our children the best start in life, and reducing added sugar early is a powerful step in that direction,” lead study author Tadeja Gracner, a senior economist at University of Southern California’s Center for Economics and Social Research, told CNN. “With better information, environment and the right incentives, parents can more easily reduce sugar exposure, for kids and themselves.”
In January 1940, with World War II was well underway, the British government had begun rationing food. The war had created a yearslong national shortage of meats, cheeses and sugar. It wasn’t until September 1953 that sugar was readily available and unrestricted again, giving scientists more than a decade of unique insight into its consumption.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, researchers examined the British population’s sugar exposure just before and after the rationing. The scientists found that babies conceived, born and raised during the rationing had up to a 35% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes and 20% lower risk of high blood pressure.
The study discovered that reducing a child’s sugar intake during the first 1,000 days after conception — gestation to 2 years old — can reduce their risks of developing diabetes or hypertension long term. According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children younger than 2 should not consume any added sugars.
The CDC also said U.S. children are consuming too much added sugar in general. Data from a 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health found more than half of children between 1 and 5 years old had consumed a sugary beverage within the past week.
Consuming too much sugar has been linked to weight gain, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Find more stories like this one on our Pulse Facebook page.
About the Author
