A new study highlights another potential downside of high sugar consumption, with researchers finding that sugar intake from as early as age two may be linked to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life. The findings add to a growing body of evidence connecting diet in early childhood to long-term brain health, reinforcing concerns among health experts about the effects of sugary diets on cognitive decline decades later.

The research suggests that dietary habits established in toddlerhood could have lasting consequences well into old age, with excess sugar consumption flagged as a contributing factor to dementia risk. Health experts cited in the article point to this as further justification for limiting sugar intake in young children, alongside other well-documented harms already associated with high sugar consumption, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.