Cutting sugar during pregnancy, early childhood protects brain decades later? Neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar explains

Neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar highlights a study showing that eliminating sugar during pregnancy and early childhood leads to healthier brain ageing.

Can cutting sugar in the early years of your life have a positive impact on your brain health? Neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar, in an X (formerly Twitter) post, dated August 10, highlighted a study that found out how ‘cutting sugar during pregnancy and early childhood protects the brain decades later’.

Does cutting sugar in the early days of your life help?

According to Dr Sudhir Kumar, a breakthrough study published on July 22, 2026, in the Nature Partner Journals – ‘Early-life sugar rationing, brain ageing, and long-term neurodegenerative and psychiatric health outcomes’ – proved that avoiding or eliminating sugar during pregnancy and after the infant is born protects the long-term brain health.

Key findings in later life

Here are a few key things the study found after cutting sugar during pregnancy and the early childhood of an infant:

• There was up to 46 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease
• A 27 percent lower risk (and onset delayed by 2.5 years) for all-cause dementia
• Cutting sugar also lowered the risk of depression by 11 percent
• There was also a 20 percent lower risk of anxiety

According to the neurologist, the MRI brain findings were amazing, too. “Brain MRI scans revealed decelerated brain ageing in those with early-life sugar restriction,” he added. There was:

• Higher total grey matter volume
• Larger hippocampal (memory centre) and thalamus volumes
• Lower white matter hyperintensities (fewer microvascular brain changes)

Why does early sugar consumption matter so much?

1. Fetal and infant neurodevelopment: According to the neurologist, excess sugar in early life triggers insulin resistance, maternal hyperglycemia, and systemic inflammation, which ultimately impair early synaptic maturation (an essential series of events that promotes the transition from nascent, weak synapses to robust, reliable connections).
2. Preventing midlife disease: The neurologist explained that early low-sugar environments ‘lower the risk of midlife type 2 diabetes and hypertension’, which ‘jointly account for 25 percent of dementia risk’.
3. Lifelong taste preferences: Lastly, children with low early sugar intake naturally develop less preference for sweet, ultra-processed foods as adults.

Lastly, the neurologist cautioned expectant mothers and parents that the first 1,000 days lay the neurobiological foundation for life. Therefore, eliminating added and free sugars during pregnancy and avoiding introducing sugars for infants or toddlers protects cognitive and mental health over 50 years down the line.

Dr Sudhir Kumar is a veteran neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. With over 26 years of experience and qualifications including MBBS, MD (internal medicine), and DM (neurology), he treats a wide range of conditions such as dementia, ALS, cerebral palsy, back pain, Canavan disease, and more.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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