(Lian et al., npj Aging, 2026)Compared with people who were not exposed to rationing during early development, those whose first 1,000 days coincided with sugar restrictions had a 27 percent lower risk of developing dementia from any cause and a 46 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. They also had an 11 percent lower risk of depression and a 20 percent lower risk of anxiety. Exposure only in the uterus produced few clear differences, apart from a lower risk of anxiety. A 2017 study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia similarly linked higher consumption of sugary drinks with lower total brain volume and poorer episodic memory. "It is a long-term investment in brain health decades later."