A low-sugar diet for babies in utero and in their first 1,000 days reduced diabetes risk by 35% and risk for hypertension by 20%, according to a new study. Sugar restriction delayed the onset of diabetes by four years and hypertension by two years. Mothers’ low sugar intake before birth lowered the risk, but sustained sugar restriction increased benefits.
The study in Science looked at how UK sugar rationing during World War II influenced long-term health conditions. The country introduced sugar distribution limits in 1942 in its food rationing program, which was lifted in September 1953.