According to a new study, individuals who consumed less sweets during childhood demonstrated a lower risk of developing several types of cancer in subsequent years. The study examined sugar intake starting from birth and throughout the first thousand days of life. The results indicate that limiting sweets during this early period benefits health even five decades later.
This research was published in the National Academy of Sciences. It was conducted on a sample of 64,761 people born in the United Kingdom between 1951 and 1956. Researchers utilized the UK's sugar rationing system as a form of experiment. Sugar rationing was abolished in September 1953. Children born before this date had less access to sugar and products made from it in early childhood, whereas subsequent children had greater access.
The study found that people born between 1951 and 1956 showed a reduced risk of various types of cancer. Experts emphasize that the first 1000 days of life are critical for bodily development and metabolic programming, and dietary habits during this period influence a person's entire life.
The study identified the strongest link with liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer. However, this does not mean that sugar consumption is a direct cause of these diseases, nor that abstaining from sugar guarantees protection against cancer. It also takes into account whether the individual is at risk from other factors contributing to cancer development, such as smoking, environmental pollution, and alcohol consumption.
An interesting aspect of this study was that people who ate little sugar in childhood continued to adhere to this diet in adulthood. Specialists suggest that the absence of a habit of very sweet taste in early age allows a person to perceive moderately sweet food as normal. Thus, early nutrition influences not only physiology but also the formation of taste preferences.
Dr. Himanshu Bhadani from the pediatric department of AIIMS in Delhi confirms the validity of the information presented in the study. He notes that low sugar consumption in childhood is beneficial for the child and reduces the risk of many diseases in the future. Nevertheless, he warns that this does not mean children should be completely isolated from all types of sugar. He adds that sugar found in fruits and milk does not pose a particular danger. Parents' main concern should be directed towards added or free sugars. Most importantly, it is crucial to reduce the habit of giving children sweets, chocolate, sweet pastries, cakes, and sugary drinks.