A study by Zheng and colleagues published in the journal BMJ in October 2025 examined the effect of limiting sugar intake during the first 1,000 days of life on cardiovascular health in adulthood[1][2]. The research was based on a natural experiment with the British population that experienced the sugar bailout after the Second World War[1]. Persons exposed to sugar rescue from conception until the age of 1-2 years had a 20-31% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to persons who were never exposed to rescue[1][4]. Specifically, reductions in the risk of myocardial infarction by 25%, heart failure by 26%, arrhythmias by 24% and stroke by 31% were found[4]. Those with longer exposure to sugar rescue dealt with cardiovascular disease approximately 2.5 years later than those without this exposure[1]. The study also demonstrated that survivors had better heart function at older ages, with higher ejection fraction index and stroke volume[1][4]. The researchers verified the specificity of these findings by examining diseases unrelated to sugar intake, such as osteoarthritis and cataracts, which were not correlated with sugar intake[4].