Overview
- Analysis of 63,433 UK Biobank participants born between 1951 and 1956 found about a 20% lower overall cardiovascular risk for those exposed from conception through the first two years of life.
- Reduced risks were reported for heart attack (25%), heart failure (26%), atrial fibrillation (24%), stroke (31%), and cardiovascular death (27%) compared with those never exposed.
- Longer exposure was linked to later disease onset by up to roughly 2.5 years, and the study adjusted for numerous factors and included an external non-UK control group.
- During rationing, daily sugar allowances were held below about 40 grams and infants under two were not given added sugars, serving as a population-level proxy for low early-life intake.
- Independent experts warned that rationing exposure may not reflect individual consumption and could involve confounding, and the authors called for studies that track early-life diets to clarify causal pathways.