| Title: | Sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life and risk of frailty: evidence from a natural experiment |
| Journal: | The journal of nutrition health & aging |
| Published: | 29 May 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42214193/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnha.2026.100883 |
Publication 19857
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between early-life sugar restriction and frailty in adulthood, and to evaluate whether frailty mediates the relationship between early-life sugar restriction and chronic diseases.</p>
DESIGN: A population based quasi-experimental cohort study.</p>
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study was conducted using data from the UK Biobank. A total of 63,793 participants were included and classified according to early-life exposure to sugar restriction (never exposed, in utero only, in utero plus the first year postnatal, and in utero plus the first two postnatal years).</p>
MEASUREMENTS: Frailty was assessed in adulthood using Fried's 5-item phenotype criteria (unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, slow walking speed, and low physical activity), with frailty defined as ≥ 3 components. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between early-life sugar restriction and frailty. Mediation analyses were conducted to assess the role of frailty in the associations between early-life sugar restriction and multiple chronic diseases.</p>
RESULTS: Early-life sugar restriction was associated with lower frailty levels and reduced odds of frailty in adulthood, with stronger associations observed for longer exposure durations (P for trend <0.01). In mediation analyses, frailty partially mediated the associations between early-life sugar restriction and selected chronic diseases, including osteoporosis and heart failure, while minimal mediation effects were observed for metabolic diseases.</p>
CONCLUSION: Early-life sugar restriction is associated with a lower risk of frailty in adulthood. These findings highlight the potential long-term benefits of early-life nutritional environments on healthy aging and suggest that strategies targeting early-life diet and frailty prevention may help reduce the burden of age-related diseases in clinical and public health settings.</p>
7 Authors
- Rui Zhang
- Yuelan Gao
- Hong Li
- Yuhan Wei
- Wanyang Zhong
- Kai Tong
- Zhibo Sun
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