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People exposed to less sugar during the first 1,000 days of life had a lower risk of developing anxiety decades later, according to new research, a finding that experts say highlights the importance of early nutrition for brain development, while stopping short of proving sugar is a direct cause of mental health problems.
To investigate the long-term effects of sugar consumption, a team analyzed data from individuals spanning a period when post-World War II sugar rationing in Britain was still in force and then gradually phased out.
"This study is compelling because it examines a real historical event," Dr. Ritu Goel, a double board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and founder of MindClaire, told Newsweek. "Post-war sugar rationing in the U.K. created a natural experiment that could not be ethically designed today.
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"The signal deserves serious consideration: lower sugar intake early in life was associated with reduced anxiety risk decades later, along with measurable differences in brain structure."
Goel, however, cautioned that the findings do not establish a direct causal relationship.
"That said, it's not proof that sugar causes anxiety," she added. "Rationing changed much more than sugar; families' overall diets changed as well.
"People born a few years apart also grew up in different social and economic conditions, so those factors are hard to tease out."
Natural Experiment Offers New Clues
The new study, published in Translational Psychiatry and led by researchers at the University of Surrey in England, examined how exposure to sugar during pregnancy and the first two years of life influences mental health, dietary behavior, brain development and cognitive health in adulthood.
To investigate the long-term effects of sugar consumption, the team analyzed data from more than 45,000 U.K. Biobank participants born between 1951 and 1956. Participants were divided into groups based on whether they experienced sugar rationing while in the womb and for up to six, 12, 18 or 24 months after birth, or only during pregnancy. Researchers also included a control group of similarly aged participants born when rationing was no longer in place, as well as a group born in Ireland.
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The findings showed that the risk of developing anxiety in adulthood was lowest among people who had the least exposure to sugar during pregnancy and the first two years of life. Women who were not exposed to rationing, or experienced it for only a short period, were particularly more likely to develop anxiety later in life.
Researchers also identified an association between early sugar exposure and depression, although this became less significant after statistical adjustments were made.
Differences in Brain Development
The researchers also found evidence to suggest that early sugar exposure may have lasting effects on the brain.
Brain imaging analysis revealed significant differences across rationing groups. Of 139 brain regions measured for gray matter volume, 80 differed significantly among the groups. Further analysis identified significant differences in 11 of those 80 regions when comparing the most rationed groups with participants who had never experienced sugar rationing, including areas within the cerebellum.
The study also suggested that childhood sugar exposure could shape dietary preferences well into adulthood. Individuals who experienced the longest period without sugar, from pregnancy through to 24 months of age, reported a lower preference for sweet foods later in life.
Researchers found broader differences in sweet food preferences between those exposed to rationing and those who were never rationed, indicating that early exposure to sugar may influence eating habits long after childhood.
Lead author Dr. Hana Navratilova of IPB University in Indonesia, who conducted the research while at the University of Surrey, said previous studies had already linked early sugar exposure to chronic illnesses such as diabetes.
"Because we've seen links in our previous work between the liking of sugary foods and mental health issues, we were specifically interested in understanding whether having sugar early in life could contribute to the incidence of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety later in life," Navratilova said in a statement.
Goel added that the findings add weight to the significance of nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood.
"This reinforces what we already see clinically: the first 1,000 days are critical for brain development, and nutrition is part of that picture," she said. "For parents, it's not about guilt over those treats but a practical reason to cut back on added sugar during pregnancy and the toddler years.
According to Goel, the lower preference for sweet foods later in life among individuals who experienced the longest period without sugar in infancy "also suggests that early exposure sets patterns that last."
Reference
Navratilova, H. F., et al. (2026). Dietary sugar exposure in early life and risk of adult mental health disorders: UK Biobank cohort study. Translational Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04376-w.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and Tony Phillips.
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