A team led by Jiazhen Zheng of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology found that reduced sugar consumption during pregnancy and the first two years of life was associated with lung health and a lower risk of developing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adulthood. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN).
The first 1,000 days, from conception to the second birthday, are considered the most important period for lifelong health development. Although it has previously been suggested that excess sugar during pregnancy increases the risk of allergies and asthma in children, its long-term effects on adult lungs remain unclear.
For the study, the researchers used a unique "natural experiment" - the elimination of sugar rations in Great Britain in 1953. After the restrictions were lifted, the consumption of sugar in the country almost doubled, while the consumption of other food products remained unchanged.
The scientists compared the health of 58,670 people born between 1951 and 1956, whose data are stored in the UK Biobank. Those born before July 1954 were classified in the restricted group, and those born later were classified in the unrestricted group.
The results were astounding. participants who limited sugar in their diet, both during pregnancy and in the first two years of life, had a 25% lower risk of developing asthma and a 27% lower risk of CAD. They also had better respiratory function with higher expiratory volumes and lung capacity.
The authors believe that these data will help to better understand how early life nutrition affects the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood, and call for new clinical trials to confirm causal links.
Translation by Euromedia24.com
