Early-life sugar exposure linked to higher anxiety risk decades later, study finds

Analysis of more than 45,000 UK Biobank participants suggests sugar intake during the first 1,000 days of life may be associated with adult anxiety and differences in brain development.

Researchers at the University of Surrey say exposure to sugar in early childhood may have consequences that last well beyond the nursery years, with new analysis linking early intake to a higher risk of anxiety in adulthood. The findings, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, are based on health data from more than 45,000 people in the UK Biobank who were born during the post-war rationing period, when sugar was still limited in British households.

According to the university, the study focused on what it called the first 1,000 days of life, from conception through a child’s second birthday. Lead author Hana Navratilova said the team wanted to understand whether sugar in those formative years could help shape later mental health, while co-author Nophar Geifman said the historical rationing era offered a rare natural experiment because many children went from having very little sugar to having it introduced gradually over time.

The researchers reported that people with greater sugar exposure in early life were more likely to experience anxiety later on, while those who had longer periods of rationing in utero and during infancy appeared to have the lowest risk. The analysis also suggested that early sugar exposure was associated with measurable differences in brain development, with 11 of 80 brain regions showing significant variation.

The study adds to a broader body of evidence linking diet and mental health, particularly the health effects of high sugar intake in children. Previous research has associated excess sugar with metabolic disease, tooth decay, obesity, behavioural problems and hyperactivity. Other studies have also connected poor diet, including artificially sweetened drinks, with a greater chance of depression and related mood problems.

For parents and caregivers, the findings do not mean that sugar alone determines whether a child will develop anxiety. But they do reinforce the importance of early nutrition, especially as many children today consume far more sugar than health authorities recommend. In the United States, federal dietary guidance advises children to keep added sugars below 25 grams a day, yet many are getting far more through sweetened drinks, desserts and ultra-processed foods.