Published : 31 Jul 2026, 07:12 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:29 AM
Limiting sugar intake before age 2 may help protect brain health decades later, according to a study reported by the BBC.
The research analysed the impact of the end of sugar rationing in the UK in September 1953, when average daily sugar consumption nearly doubled from about 41g to 80g.
Researchers said the period created a "natural experiment" to examine the long-term effects of early-life sugar intake.
Analysing data from nearly 65,000 participants in the UK Biobank, researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology found that people who were toddlers during sugar rationing had a 23 percent lower risk of developing dementia and were diagnosed with the disease around two and a half years later than those born after rationing ended.
Lead researcher Jiazhen Zheng said the findings suggested limiting sugar during the earliest stages of life "may have lasting benefits for brain health", but stressed that further research was needed to determine whether sugar directly caused the effect.
Experts not involved in the study urged caution.
Rachel Richardson of Cochrane said the findings were not a "smoking gun", noting that the study could not determine how much sugar participants actually consumed and that differences in infant feeding practices between the 1940s and today limited its relevance.
Prof Ian Maidment of Aston University said more evidence was needed.
In contrast, Dr Sara Rodrigues of Alzheimer's Research UK said the observational study could identify only an association, not prove that reducing sugar intake directly prevents dementia.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology.
