Yet another harm of too much sugar – it can increase dementia risk, experts find

Toddlers who eat sugar could be at greater risk of developing dementia in later life, a study has suggested. 

Pregnant women who avoid sweets, chocolates and other sugary foods can also help slash their child’s risk of the memory robbing disease by 20 per cent. 

The study – published in the journal Neurology – also found that eating very little sugar in early life could offer some protection against the disease.

‘Our findings suggests that limiting sugar during the earliest stages of life may have lasting benefits for brain health,’ Professor Jiazhen Zheng, the study’s lead author, said. 

‘These results highlight the potential importance of early-life nutrition in reducing the risk of dementia decades later.’

Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology compared 64,737 people born before and after the World War II sugar rationing in the UK. 

Participants were grouped by when sugar rationing occurred – before birth and during their first year, before birth and up to two years old, or no sugar rationing.

Starting when participants reached an average age of 55, the team analysed their medical records to identify who was diagnosed with dementia in the next 15 years.

Of the 15,256 who did not have access to sugar before birth and in their first two years of life,  just two per cent went on to develop dementia. 

After adjusting for age, sex and contributing factors like high blood pressure, results showed those who had experienced sugar rationing had up to a 23 per cent lower risk of dementia than those born after 1953, when it became more widely available.

Those who didn’t consume a lot of sugar in early life also developed dementia around two and a half years later than those who did. 

These participants also had less brain tissue damage and more total grey matter – which has been associated with better thinking skills and memory – according to brain scans. 

Professor Zheng concluded:  ‘Limiting added sugars during pregnancy and infancy may be one beneficial step that families and communities can take.’ 

However, he added, further research is needed to better understand how early life exposures influence dementia risk. 

Although researchers said the findings do not conclusively prove eating less sugar directly prevents dementia, experts say it fits with growing evidence that sugar affects brain function.

Experts are increasingly finding that the brain is highly sensitive to fluctuations in blood sugars. 

Studies show that those with elevated blood sugar levels are at a 69 per cent increased risk of Alzheimer’s. 

It’s thought that, over time, poor blood sugar control can damage the lining of the blood vessels that supply life-giving oxygen to the brain. 

Chronically elevated blood sugar levels have also been shown to change the shape of key proteins, turning them into toxins that kill brain cells.

It’s also well known that a mother’s health profile can have a lasting effect on their offspring’s health, with maternal obesity increasing the likelihood of diabetes – a risk factor for developing dementia. 

Dementia affects a person’s memory, ability to retain new information, problem solving skills and often means they can no longer live independently. 

It’s caused by damage to brain cells and neurons and is the UK’s biggest killer.  

The findings come just months after a damning investigation revealed that parents living in the fattest region in England were told to wean their babies on to solid foods with biscuits, crisps and chocolate.

Obesity is one of the leading risk factors for dementia in both middle age and adolescence, along with high blood pressure and physical inactivity.  

Advice shared by NHS Gateshead Health claimed that these foods ‘dissolve in the mouth’ making them a ‘great middle step for children who are struggling to accept lumps in food’.

The online advice – which was removed after the Daily Mail approached the NHS trust for comment – also lists sugar-laden Cadbury’s chocolate buttons, prawn crackers and Pom Bear Crisps as ‘great’ foods to try.

Current guidelines state that children aged one should have no more than 10g of free sugars a day – the equivalents of two-and-a-half sugar cubes.

There is no official limit for babies under the age of one, but sugars should not be added to food or drinks given to babies, the NHS states.