Restricting sugar consumption in the first thousand days of life can protect against various cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack, heart failure and stroke, in addition to delaying the onset of these diseases.
The data are from a study.
It is already known that the period from conception to around 2 years of age (which includes the first thousand days of life) is a window capable of modeling future cardiometabolic risk. To assess the impact of sugar at this stage, the authors were based on a policy of rationing the sweet ingredient in force in the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1953, as part of a program to prevent food shortages during and shortly after the Second World War (1939-1945).
To do this, they selected 63,433 participants from the British UK Biobank survey, born between October 1951 and March 1956. They were separated into two groups, in order to compare individuals exposed to rationing in the womb and those born after the end of the policy.
The analysis revealed that the longer the duration of sugar restriction, the greater the cardiovascular protection. To give you an idea, those least exposed to the ingredient had a 25% drop in the risk of heart attack and a 31% drop in the chance of a stroke in adulthood. Furthermore, they developed cardiovascular diseases later, around two years later than the others.
However, the work has some methodological limitations. As it is an observational study, based on historical data, it cannot be said that there is a cause and effect relationship between these diseases.
“The end of rationing also coincides with greater availability of other foods, such as fats, and changes in the population’s lifestyle, which are factors that can confuse the results”, assesses cardiologist Juliana Soares, from Einstein Hospital Israelita.
Still, the findings suggest that early sugar restriction contributes to the formation of a healthier metabolism.
“Despite the reservations, [o estudo] clearly points out that the recommendation to reduce sugar for pregnant women and young children can be beneficial for health in general, favoring a metabolic program that reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension”, observes Soares. “The central message is that the first thousand days are a very important period, an opportunity to prevent in adult life.
The SBP (Brazilian Society of Pediatrics) does not recommend offering sugar and sweets to children under 2 years of age. The guidance is part of the guidelines for healthy eating in childhood and is based on evidence that early consumption of the ingredient is associated with increased cavities, metabolic changes and the formation of food preferences towards ultra-processed products. Even after this age, intake should be occasional and moderate.
