Limiting sugar consumption during pregnancy and a child's first two years of life reduces the likelihood of developing anxiety and depression in adulthood by about 20 percent, SciTechDaily reports, citing a study published in the journal General Psychiatry, according to infohub.kz.
The authors relied on a historical precedent: during World War II and the post-war period, the United Kingdom strictly rationed sugar sales. After the restrictions were lifted in September 1953, sweets consumption rose sharply. The availability of other foods did not change during that period, which allowed researchers to match people's birth dates with the end of food rationing.
The researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 66,000 participants in the UK Biobank database. They found that people whose early childhood coincided with the period of strict restrictions were 17 percent less likely to experience anxiety disorders in adulthood and 14 percent less likely to experience depression, compared with those born after rationing ended.
The most pronounced effect appeared among those who received less sugar during the first 1,000 days from conception, including the prenatal period and the first two years of life. In this group, the relative risk of anxiety fell by 24 percent and of depression by 21 percent. In addition, doctors recorded the first official diagnoses in these people noticeably later: anxiety appeared on average two years later, and depression four years later.
The researchers suggest that early diet influences brain development, inflammatory processes and the nervous system's response to stress.