People consume many different types and amounts of sugars from the foods and beverages in their diet. “A high intake of sugar is linked to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.”
Does a high-sugar diet early in life lead to negative health consequences in later life? And, are some sugars healthier than others?
For background, see —
*Iqbal, Saima S. (December 26, 2024). WWII Sugar Rationing Gave Kids a Lifelong Health Boost. Scientific American (online).
*Harvard Health Publishing Staff (October 20, 2023). Are certain types of sugars healthier than others?
Relevant articles:
*Gracner, T., Boone, C., & Gertler, P. J. (2024). Exposure to sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life protected against chronic disease. Science, 386(6725), 1043-1048. [Cited by]
“We examined the impact of exposure to sugar restrictions within 1000 days after conception on type 2 diabetes and hypertension, leveraging quasi-experimental variation from the end of the United Kingdom’s sugar rationing in September 1953. Rationing restricted sugar intake to levels within current dietary guidelines, and consumption nearly doubled immediately after rationing ended. Using an event study design with UK Biobank data comparing adults conceived just before or after rationing ended, we found that early-life rationing reduced type 2 diabetes and hypertension risk by about 35 and 20% and delayed disease onset by 4 and 2 years, respectively. Protection was evident with in utero exposure and increased with postnatal sugar restriction, especially after 6 months, when eating of solid foods likely began. In utero sugar rationing alone accounted for about one-third of the risk reduction.”
*Samuelsson, A., Matthews, P. A., Argenton, M., Christie, M. R., McConnell, J. M., Jansen, E. H. J. M., Piersma, A. H., Ozanne, S. E., Twinn, D. F., Remacle, C., Rowlerson, A., Poston, L., & Taylor, P. D. (2008). Diet-Induced Obesity in Female Mice Leads to Offspring Hyperphagia, Adiposity, Hypertension, and Insulin Resistance: A Novel Murine Model of Developmental Programming. Hypertension, 51(2), 383-392. [PDF] [Cited by]
“Maternal obesity is increasingly prevalent and may affect the long-term health of the child. We investigated the effects of maternal diet-induced obesity in mice on offspring metabolic and cardiovascular function. Female C57BL/6J mice were fed either a standard chow (3% fat, 7% sugar) or a palatable obesogenic diet (16% fat, 33% sugar) for 6 weeks before mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation. Offspring of control (OC) and obese dams (OO) were weaned onto standard chow and studied at 3 and 6 months of age. OO were hyperphagic from 4 to 6 weeks of age compared with OC and at 3 months locomotor activity was reduced and adiposity increased (abdominal fat pad mass; P<0.01). OO were heavier than OC at 6 months (body weight, P<0.05). OO abdominal obesity was associated with adipocyte hypertrophy and altered mRNA expression of β-adrenoceptor 2 and 3, 11βHSD-1, and PPAR-γ 2. OO showed resistance artery endothelial dysfunction at 3 months, and were hypertensive, as assessed by radiotelemetry (nighttime systolic blood pressure at 6 months [mm Hg] mean±SEM, male OO, 134±1 versus OC, 124±2, n=8, P<0.05; female OO, 137±2 versus OC, 122±4, n=8, P<0.01). OO skeletal muscle mass (tibialis anterior) was significantly reduced (P<0.01) OO fasting insulin was raised at 3 months and by 6 months fasting plasma glucose was elevated. Exposure to the influences of maternal obesity in the developing mouse led to adult offspring adiposity and cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction. Developmentally programmed hyperphagia, physical inactivity, and altered adipocyte metabolism may play a mechanistic role.”
*Walker, R. W., & Goran, M. I. (2015). Laboratory Determined Sugar Content and Composition of Commercial Infant Formulas, Baby Foods and Common Grocery Items Targeted to Children. Nutrients, 7(7), 5850-5867. [PDF] [Cited by]
“Excess added sugar consumption is tied to poor health outcomes in children. The sugar content of beverages and foods children are exposed to is mostly unknown, yet this information is imperative for understanding potential risks from overconsumption of sugars in early life. We determined actual sugar content by conducting a blinded laboratory analysis in infant formulas, breakfast cereals, packaged baked goods and yogurts. One hundred samples were sent to an independent laboratory for analysis via gas chromatography. Sugar content and composition was determined and total sugar was compared against nutrition labels. Of the 100 samples analyzed, 74% contained ≥20% of total calories per serving from added sugars. Nutrient label data underestimated or overestimated actual sugars and ~25% of all samples had actual total sugar values that were either <10% or >10% of labeled total sugar. Many products that are frequently marketed to and consumed by infants and young children contain sugars in amounts that differ from nutrition labels and often in excess of recommended daily levels. These findings provide further support for adding more comprehensive sugar labeling to food and beverage products, specifically those marketed to, or commonly consumed by, children.”
*Basu, Sanjay,M.D., PhD., McKee, Martin,M.D., D.Sc, Galea, G., M.D., & Stuckler, David,PhD., M.P.H. (2013). Relationship of Soft Drink Consumption to Global Overweight, Obesity, and Diabetes: A Cross-National Analysis of 75 Countries. American Journal of Public Health, 103(11), 2071-2077. [PDF] [Cited by]
“Objectives: We estimated the relationship between soft drink consumption and obesity and diabetes worldwide.
Methods: We used multivariate linear regression to estimate the association between soft drink consumption and overweight, obesity, and diabetes prevalence in 75 countries, controlling for other foods (cereals, meats, fruits and vegetables, oils, and total calories), income, urbanization, and aging. Data were obtained from the Euromonitor Global Market Information Database, the World Health Organization, and the International Diabetes Federation. Bottled water consumption, which increased with per-capita income in parallel to soft drink consumption, served as a natural control group.
Results: Soft drink consumption increased globally from 9.5 gallons per person per year in 1997 to 11.4 gallons in 2010. A 1% rise in soft drink consumption was associated with an additional 4.8 overweight adults per 100 (adjusted B; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.1, 6.5), 2.3 obese adults per 100 (95% CI = 1.1, 3.5), and 0.3 adults with diabetes per 100 (95% CI = 0.1, 0.8). These findings remained robust in low- and middle-income countries.
Conclusions: Soft drink consumption is significantly linked to overweight, obesity, and diabetes worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries.“
See also —
High-sugar diets: Discovering human impacts through animal models
Getting kids hooked on sugary beverages
“Ultra-processed foods damage health and shorten life”
Questions? Please let me know (engelk@grinnell.edu).
