According to a recent research study, having reduced sugar intake within the first 1,000 days post conception may significantly reduce the chances of contracting chronic conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure, in later life.
As the holidays approach, new research now reminds parents to monitor their little one’s sugar intake.
New report published in Science reveals that reducing sugar throughout the early stages of pregnancy and up until the early years, that is, the first 1,000 days after conception, can dramatically reduce lifetime risks of long-term health problems.
Children who got less sugar at that critical juncture in the study had a 35% reduced chance of getting type 2 diabetes and a 20% less chance of having high blood pressure when they grew up.
Besides this, children get a better start because these diseases, if they appear, often present themselves later in life.
Lead researcher Tadeja Gracner called the UK’s wartime sugar rationing a “natural experiment.”
Researchers discovered that people born while sugar was being rationed during World War II were significantly less likely to have developed obesity, diabetes, or high blood pressure than those born before and after the wartime rations were in effect-a comparison based on health records when the researchers studied the boomers.
The study focuses on how early eating impacts health throughout life and calls on parents to set a healthier example by limiting sugary drinks and snacks.
According to pediatrician Dr. Mark Corkins, the trick to forever setting dietary habits for your kids is by choosing wholesome foods.
This research seeks to examine how limiting the intake of sugars in children can be an important first step toward preventing chronic illnesses and providing families with a better future.
