Limiting sugar consumption during World War II was linked to lower risks of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, according to a new study.
Sugar, dangerous for health PHOTO: Shuterstock
Researchers from McGill University (Canada), the University of (California) and the University of Southern California (USC- USA) examined the influence of sugar rationing during and after World War II by comparing the health data of people born before and after.
“Studying the long-term health effects of added sugar is challenging”Tadeja Gracner, economist at USC and author of the study, said in a statement, according to euronews.
“It’s hard to find situations where people are randomly exposed to different nutritional environments early in life and followed for 50-60 years. The end of rationalization has given us a new natural experiment to overcome these problems”Gracner added.
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes was reduced by 35% on average for children exposed to lower sugar intake in the first 1,000 days (nearly three years) after conception, according to the results published in the journal Science.
For those who were later diagnosed with diabetes, rationing sugar in early childhood delayed the onset of diabetes by four years. In the case of high blood pressure, the risk was reduced by 20% and the onset of the disease was delayed by two years.
Restricting sugar in utero (while the mother was pregnant) provided a third of the protective benefits, the researchers said.
“Early sugar is the new tobacco and we should treat it as such, holding food companies accountable to reformulate baby foods with healthier options,” said Paul Gertler, professor of economics at the University of California and one of the authors of the study.
Restrictions in line with current dietary guidelines
During sugar rationing in the United Kingdom, which began in 1942 and ended in 1953, average sugar consumption was around 40g per day.
When it was over, sugar and sweets consumption reached about 80g per day.
According to the study, during rationing, overall nutrient intakes remained relatively stable, with protein and fat intakes, for example, largely unaffected by rationing policies.
Current guidelines from health organizations recommend no added sugar for children under two and recommend limits for adults.
Dr Hilda Mulrooney, lecturer in nutrition at London Metropolitan University, who was not involved in the study, says the results were “opportunity”, given the current high levels of sugar consumption in the UK.
“This highlights the potential of early childhood diet as a risk factor for chronic disease. Given the high levels of sugar in foods and drinks aimed at toddlers and young children, this is worrying”she added.
