Early childhood sugar exposure linked to lower adult anxiety risk decades later
A UK cohort study found that minimal sugar intake during pregnancy and the first two years of life is associated with a reduced likelihood of anxiety in adulthood.
A team from the University of Surrey examined more than 45,000 UK Biobank volunteers born between 1951 and 1956, exploiting Britain’s post-war sugar rationing as a natural experiment. Participants were grouped by their exposure to rationing during pregnancy and up to 24 months after birth, with a control cohort born after rationing ended and an Irish cohort for comparison. The analysis showed that the least sugar exposure correlated with the lowest adult anxiety risk, a pattern most pronounced among women.
Brain scans identified significant gray-matter volume differences in 80 regions, with 11 remaining distinct after stricter comparison. The study also suggested that early sugar scarcity may lead to a lifelong reduced preference for sweet foods. Lead author Hana Navratilova noted that earlier work linked early sugar intake to chronic diseases, prompting this investigation into mental-health outcomes. Experts caution that the findings do not prove causation, as broader dietary and socioeconomic changes accompanied rationing.
