| Title: | Dietary sugar exposure in early life and risk of adult mental health disorders: UK Biobank cohort study |
| Journal: | Translational Psychiatry |
| Published: | 19 Aug 2026 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04376-w |
| URL: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04376-w |
Publication 20969
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Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that sugar rationing during the first 1000 days of life may shape chronic disease risk in adulthood. Given the established link between mental health and non-communicable diseases, early sugar restriction could influence later incidence of anxiety and depression. Using UK Biobank data, participants born between October 1, 1951, and March 31, 1956 (n = 46,448) were grouped by duration of exposure to sugar rationing: R270 (n = 9671), R425 (n = 6984), R635 (n = 6622), R817 (n = 7096), R1000 (n = 6856), and never-rationed groups NR0 (n = 6117) and NR455 (n = 3102). Sweet-foods preference was assessed via questionnaires, while anxiety and depression diagnoses were obtained from linked health records. Survival analyses employed Weibull accelerated failure time models, adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and health covariates. Structural equation modelling (SEM) examined possible pathways. The R1000 group reported lower preference for sweets (mean score = 5.82 vs. 6.04 in NR455, p = 0.0042) and showed lower hazards of anxiety (HR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.53-0.84) and depression (HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57-0.87). Associations for anxiety remained robust across sensitivity analyses, including adjustment for later-life sugar intake, while those for depression weakened and became statistically non-significant. SEM indicated a direct association between rationing duration and anxiety (γ = -0.144, p = 0.012), but not depression. These findings highlight the potential importance of early developmental environments in shaping mental-health outcomes, with stronger associations observed for anxiety than depression.</p>
3 Authors
- Hana F. Navratilova
- Anthony D. Whetton
- Nophar Geifman
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 83988 | Endotypes and Trajectories of Multi-morbidity for Stratification and Biomarker Analysis |
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