A new study might make you reconsider letting your little ones dig into that leftover Halloween candy. Researchers recently found that limiting the amount of sugar children receive in the first 1,000 days after conception can help decrease their risk of diabetes and high blood pressure as they age.
Ironically published on Halloween by Science.org, the study noted a 20% decrease in high blood pressure and 35% in type 2 diabetes diagnoses when parents restricted children’s sugar consumption early.
“Exposure to a relatively low-sugar environment in utero and early childhood significantly reduces the diabetes and hypertension risk decades later, as well as delays their onset,” Tadeja Gračner, the study’s co-author, told The Guardian.
Their research also found that “In-utero sugar rationing alone accounted for about one-third of the risk reduction.” Implementing a low-sugar diet for children can delay the onset of diabetes by four years and high blood pressure by two years.
“This is convincing new evidence, providing further support that reducing exposure of the unborn baby and newborn infant to sugar has lasting benefits that include lowering the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure in later adulthood,” University of Southampton Professor Keith Godfrey told the publication about the study.
According to the National Institutes of Health, type 2 diabetes is more likely among African American youth populations than in non-Hispanic white youth communities. Similarly, a 2021 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the amount of children and teens, particularly Black children and teens living with type 2 diabetes, increased by almost 95%.
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“These increases in type 2 diabetes in youth are sobering,” said Elizabeth Selvin, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, per USA Today. “It used to be thought that type 2 diabetes was a disease of adults. And now, we’re seeing major increases in kids. And this is a disease they’re likely to have their whole lives.”
These newest findings echo the existing guidelines organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest. According to the CDC, chidlren under two should not consume any added sugars at all. Similarly, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to feed their children over two less than 25 grams of added sugar per day.
Ultimately, the study’s researchers hope that these new results also spark changes in the way baby formula and food are made.
“Added sugar is everywhere, even in baby and toddler foods, and children are bombarded with TV ads for sugary snacks,” Gračner explained. “While improving nutritional literacy among parents and caregivers is key, we should also hold companies accountable to reformulate baby foods with healthier options and regulate the marketing and pricing of sugary foods targeted at kids.”
The co-author added, “We all want to improve our health and give our children the best start in life, and reducing added sugar early is a powerful step in that direction. But it’s far from easy…With better information, environment and the right incentives, parents can more easily reduce sugar exposure for their kids and themselves.”
