Health experts warn that excessive sugar consumption during pregnancy may affect the future mental health of children, calling for stricter recommendations to limit its consumption among pregnant mothers.
A recent study found that people born during the period of food rationing after World War II, when access to sugar was limited, were less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than others.
The study showed that people whose mothers began their pregnancies before sugar restrictions were lifted in 1953 had up to a 25% lower risk of developing these mental disorders later in life.
The researchers confirmed that the results of the study, published in the Journal of General Psychiatry, support growing evidence suggesting a link between the amount of sugar a mother consumes during pregnancy and the child's brain development and future mental health.
The study suggests that limiting sugar consumption during the first 1000 days after conception may play an important role in a person's mental health later in life.
The researchers called for future health policies to include clear guidelines for reducing sugar consumption among pregnant women and young children.
Current guidelines from the UK's National Health Service (NHS) allow children aged one year to consume up to 10 grams of sugar per day, which is equivalent to about two and a half sugar cubes.
For her part, nutritionist Sarah Shanker, author of "My Child and I Without Sugar," supported calls to set new limits on sugar consumption, noting that its effects are not limited to dental health and weight, but may also extend to mental health.
