A new study suggests restricting sugar intake from conception to around 2 years of age may lower the risk of serious heart disease in adulthood.
Could the key to a healthier heart in adulthood actually start in the crib – or even before birth?
A new study finds limiting sugar intake from pregnancy through the toddler years may lower the risk of several serious heart conditions.
The study included more than 63,000 British adults… most born to mothers who lived under sugar ratioing in the early 1950s.
Back then, daily sugar was capped at under 40 grams per day for pregnant women — and babies under 2 could have no added sugar at all.
Researchers used electronic health records to track heart disease rates, and the results showed adults exposed to little or no sugar from conception to age 2 had:
Adults Exposed to Sugar Rationing
20% lower odds for CVD
25% lower odds for heart attack
26% lower odds for heart failure
24% lower odds for atrial fibrillation
31% lower odds for stroke
27% lower odds for cardiovascular death
The heart benefits of sugar rationing may stem in part from reduced risks for diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the researchers.
They say while their findings can’t prove cause and effect, they support current advice to minimize added sugars during pregnancy and early childhood.
Source: The BMJ
Author Affiliations: The Hong Kong University, Monash University, Boston University, University of Sydney, Shanghai JiaoTong University, University of Tokyo, University Hospital Leipzig, University of Liverpool, Aalborg University, Medical University of Bialystok
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