Sugar rationing during the first 1000 days of life and lifelong risk of heart failure

Elevated sugar intake has been linked to poor cardiovascular health, but the effects of early-life sugar restriction on the lifelong risk of heart failure remain unclear. Using the end of sugar rationing in the United Kingdom in 1953 as a natural experiment, we classify participants in the UK Biobank by birth timing to define early-life exposure to sugar rationing. Here we show that individuals exposed to early-life sugar rationing exhibit an approximately 14% lower risk of heart failure and develop the condition about 2.6 years later than those unexposed. Longer exposure is associated with stronger effects, and population-level estimates suggest that around 4-5% of heart failure cases may be attributable to the absence of early-life sugar restriction. Genetic susceptibility does not modify these associations but acts additively. These findings underscore the long-term importance of early-life sugar exposure for heart failure, and further studies are warranted.