> Early-life sugar could drive later-life disease in various ways, Gracner says. Exposure in the womb might affect fetal development in a way that predisposes s

> Early-life sugar could drive later-life disease in various ways, Gracner says. Exposure in the womb might affect fetal development in a way that predisposes someone to metabolic diseases. Infants eating a sugary diet might also develop a taste for sweet foods, causing them to eat more sugar as adults—an outcome for which her team has some preliminary evidence. If there's a significant lag between early-life exposure and disease outcomes, then it seems reasonable that the effects of the 2000-2020 drop won't be seen for some time.