Are dietary patterns in early childhood associated with alcohol consumption at the age of 17?

An analysis examined the relationship between dietary patterns in early childhood and alcohol consumption in adolescence.
Data was obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents (ALSPAC) prospective cohort study. Dietary information was obtained using food frequency questionnaires at ages 3 and 7 years. The association between dietary patterns, derived using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores (to assess harmful intake) and frequency of alcohol consumption at 17 years were examined. Secondary analysis considered sugar intake as a percentage of total energy intake.
The analysis found that adherence to the “healthy” dietary pattern at both 3 and 7 years of age was positively associated with consuming more than one alcoholic drink per week at 17 years, whilst adherence to the ‘traditional’ dietary pattern at both ages was protective of harmful alcohol intake at 17. Sugar intake was not associated with either alcohol outcome after adjustment for ethnicity, maternal level of education, parental social class and maternal AUDIT score.
For the population studied, changes to diet in early childhood are unlikely to have an impact on harmful alcohol use in adolescence given the lack of consistency across the results, the study authors conclude.
Source:Yorke K, Northstone K, Jones L. Are dietary patterns in early childhood associated with alcohol consumption at the age of 17? Analysis of data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents (ALSPAC) prospective cohort study. Public Health Nutr. 2021 Oct 6:1-30. doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021004183.