Skip to main page content
U.S. flag
See More

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 29;386(6725):1043-1048.
doi: 10.1126/science.adn5421. Epub 2024 Oct 31.

Exposure to sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life protected against chronic disease

Tadeja Gracner  1   2 , Claire Boone  3   4 , Paul J Gertler  5   6
Affiliations

Exposure to sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life protected against chronic disease

Tadeja Gracner et al. Science. .

Abstract

We examined the impact of exposure to sugar restrictions within 1000 days after conception on type 2 diabetes and hypertension, leveraging quasi-experimental variation from the end of the United Kingdom's sugar rationing in September 1953. Rationing restricted sugar intake to levels within current dietary guidelines, and consumption nearly doubled immediately after rationing ended. Using an event study design with UK Biobank data comparing adults conceived just before or after rationing ended, we found that early-life rationing reduced type 2 diabetes and hypertension risk by about 35 and 20% and delayed disease onset by 4 and 2 years, respectively. Protection was evident with in utero exposure and increased with postnatal sugar restriction, especially after 6 months, when eating of solid foods likely began. In utero sugar rationing alone accounted for about one-third of the risk reduction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: Authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

    1. Schwarzenberg SJ et al. , Advocacy for improving nutrition in the first 1000 days to support childhood development and adult health. Pediatrics 141, (2018). - PubMed
    1. Gluckman PD, Hanson MA, Cooper C, Thornburg KL, Effect of in utero and early-life conditions on adult health and disease. New England journal of medicine 359, 61–73 (2008). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Snetselaar LG, de Jesus JM, DeSilva DM, Stoody EE, Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025: understanding the scientific process, guidelines, and key recommendations. Nutrition today 56, 287 (2021). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Walker RW, Goran MI, Laboratory determined sugar content and composition of commercial infant formulas, baby foods and common grocery items targeted to children. Nutrients 7, 5850–5867 (2015). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cioffi CE, Figueroa J, Welsh JA, Added sugar intake among pregnant women in the United States: National Health and nutrition examination survey 2003–2012. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 118, 886–895. e881 (2018). - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources