During World War II, the United Kingdom imposed strict rationing. Starting in January 1940, foods like sugar, meat, and cheese were limited due to the wartime shortage. Rationing lasted until September 1953, which meant for more than a decade babies born during this period consumed a diet much lower in sugar than those born before or after. It turns out this enforced change in diet profoundly impacted these babies’ long-term health, a new study shows.
Published Thursday in the journal Science, a new study examined health data from those born during and after rationing. The authors, from the University of Southern California, McGill University, and the University of California, Berkeley, used the UK Biobank, which possesses genetic and health information on over half a million people. By looking at Brits born between October 1951 and March 1956, the team determined that those who lived their earliest years out during sugar rationing had a markedly lower risk for chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure in middle age, which conveys how exposure to sugar during infancy can influence health decades later.
