Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41043510›Full record

Observational studyThe American journal of clinical nutrition2025

Sugar restriction in the first 1000 days after conception, and long-term respiratory health: a quasi-experiment study.

Jiazhen Zheng, Chuang Yang, Zhen Zhou, Jinghan Huang, Qiang Tu, Haisheng Wu, Quan Yang, Wenbo Huang, Junchun Shen, Feng Cao

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jiazhen ZhengBioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, Systems Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Chuang YangDepartment of Visceral, Transplant, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Zhen ZhouSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Jinghan HuangBiomedical Genetics Section, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong.
Qiang TuFaculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Haisheng WuSchool of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong.
Quan YangCardiac and Vascular Center, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Wenbo HuangDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology & Health Economics, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Junchun ShenBioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, Systems Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Feng CaoMedical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: cfeng@ukaachen.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHigh sugar intake during the first 1000 d after conception is common and may impact lifelong respiratory health. Although early-life sugar exposure has been linked to childhood asthma, its long-term effect on adult respiratory disease and lung function is unclear.

objectivesThis study aims to assess whether restricted sugar intake during the first 1000 d after conception is associated with risk and delayed onset of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in adulthood, and to explore potential mediating mechanisms.

methodsWe used the cessation of the United Kingdom's sugar rationing in September 1953 as a quasi-experiment, comparing 58,670 UK Biobank participants born 1951-1956 exposed to varying durations of early-life sugar restriction. Participants were classified as exposed (in utero and/or ≤2 y postbirth) or unexposed (born after July 1954). Outcomes included incident asthma, COPD, and IPF (ascertained by health records), validated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (a United Kingdom cohort) and the Health and Retirement Study (a United States cohort). Spirometry indices [forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)%, forced vital capacity (FVC)%, FEV1/FVC] were measured. Cox models adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and clinical factors. Mediation analysis assessed diabetes, hypertension, and birth weight.

resultsEarly-life exposure to sugar rationing (in utero plus 1-2 y) was associated with lower risks of asthma [hazard ratio: 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.61, 0.91] and COPD [0.73 (0.62, 0.88)], and delayed disease onset by ≤3.6 y. Rationed participants had higher mean FEV1% (increase 6.0; 95% CI: 2.9, 9.1), FVC% [increase 5.9 (3.3, 8.5)], and FEV1/FVC ratio [increase 0.045 (0.011, 0.079)] compared with nonrationed groups. Longer sugar restriction offered greater protection. Diabetes and hypertension mediated 18.2% of the effect; birth weight contributed only 1.6%. Findings were consistent across external validation and placebo analyses.

conclusionsRestricting sugar intake during the first 1,000 d after conception was associated with reduced risk and delayed onset of asthma and COPD, and improved lung function in adulthood. These findings support the utility of current dietary guidelines to promote lifelong respiratory health.

Indexed as

AsthmaDietary ExposureDietary SugarsDiet, Carbohydrate-RestrictedPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveAdultChild, PreschoolEatingFemaleForced Expiratory VolumeHumansInfantInfant, NewbornLongitudinal StudiesLungMaleDietary SugarsasthmaCOPDearly-lifeidiopathic pulmonary fibrosisspirometrysugar restriction

Identifiers

PMID41043510
PMCPMC12799378

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.