The health risks of a high-sugar diet are well known: obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and more. But new research from Dr. Kiran Soma’s lab at UBC suggests the effects may start even earlier.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Endocrinology, pregnant rats consumed sucrose (table sugar) making up about 26 per cent of their daily calories— on par with some sugar-packed human diets. The research team found that this diet triggered hormonal changes in the fetus that could influence brain function and behaviour later in life.
“During early development, the brain is particularly impressionable,” Dr. Soma explains. “The results of our study show that sucrose exposure might have large, long-lasting effects on the brain and behaviour.”
