Randomized trial examines the impact of early-life sugar restriction on dementia and psychiatric disorders, suggesting implications for lifelong brain health.
Key Points
This study investigates whether early-life sugar restriction reduces the risk of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders later in life.
Leveraged UK historical sugar rationing as a natural experiment with 60,394 participants born between 1951-1956.
Defined three exposure groups: in-utero-only, in utero plus 2 years, and non-rationed controls, analyzing brain aging and health outcomes.
Performed sex-stratified analyses and dose-response assessments of sugar restriction's effects.
Participants exposed to sugar restriction showed a 27% lower risk of all-cause dementia, 46% for Alzheimer's disease, 11% for depression, and 20% for anxiety compared to controls.
Brain aging was decelerated, with a 0.39-year reduction in brain age gap and structural changes in brain regions such as the hippocampus.
Stronger protective effects were noted for depression and anxiety when postnatal sugar restriction lasted beyond 6 months of age.