University of Surrey study links early sugar exposure to adult anxiety risk

A study from the University of Surrey suggests that sugar exposure during the first 1,000 days of life—from conception to approximately two and a half years of age—is linked to long-term mental health outcomes. Researchers analyzed data from over 45,000 individuals from the UK Biobank who were born between 1951 and 1956, a period characterized by post-war sugar rationing in the United Kingdom.

The findings, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, indicate that individuals exposed to longer periods of sugar rationing experienced a 33% lower risk of anxiety in adulthood compared to those who were never rationed. This group also showed a reduced preference for sweet foods and a later median age of anxiety onset.

Brain imaging data revealed structural differences in gray matter across 80 of the 139 analyzed regions, including parts of the cerebellum, between the rationing groups and the non-rationed group. Lead author Hana Navratilova noted that understanding these impacts could help inform public health policies and dietary guidelines.