Association of Exposure to Chinese Famine in Early Life with the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Adulthood

Abstract

Objective: To explore the association of famine exposure in early life with the risk of metabolic syndrome (MS) in the Chinese adults. Methods: Data were obtained from the wave 2009 of the China Health and Nutrition Survey. MS was identified when 3 or more of the following components happened: (1) waist circumference > 90 cm in males or > 85 cm in females; (2) fasting glucose ≥6.1 mmol/L; (3) systolic blood pressure ≥130 mm Hg/diabolic blood pressure ≥85 mm Hg; (4) fasting triglyceride ≥1.70 mmol/L; and (5) high-density lipids cholesterol < 1.04 mmol/L. All participants were divided into 5 groups: no exposure, born after 1961; fetal life exposure, between 1959 and 1961; early childhood exposure, between 1956 and 1958; mid-childhood exposure, between 1953 and 1955; and late childhood exposure, between 1949 and 1952. A total of 2,080 subjects were included in this study. Results: In rural, famine exposure in fetal life and early childhood was associated with the lower risk of MS (p = 0.0491 and 0.0245; OR 0.583 and 0.703; and OR, 95% CI 0.341-0.998 and 0.517-0.956, respectively). But famine exposure in late childhood was associated with the higher risk of MS (p = 0.0140; OR 3.096; and OR, 95% CI 1.257-7.625). Famine exposure in early childhood was associated with the lower risk of MS (p = 0.0120; OR 0.633; and OR, 95% CI 0.443-0.904) in males. Conclusions: Famine exposure in mid-and late-childhood was associated with the higher risk of MS, especially in rural, males, and severe famine areas.

Famine and Trajectories of Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Blood Pressure in Two Generations: Results From the CHNS From 1993–2015

“…the later in life risks of metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, were stronger in women, [26][27][28][29] whereas other studies reported that these associations were stronger in men. 12,30,31 The stronger effects observed in men may be explained by the biological fragility of the male fetus, which means that the human male is more vulnerable than the female. 32 In addition, the son preference in Chinese culture allowed male infants to receive more care and gain more chance of survival during the severe famine period.…”

Association between Early Life Famine Exposure and Metabolic Syndrome in Adulthood

“…[ 26 ] and Peng, Y. [ 27 ]. Wang, Z. et al [ 26 ] found a significant association between famine exposure during infancy (OR = 1.83) and the risk of MetS in adulthood and a stratified analysis of famine severity found a stronger association between severe famine exposure and MetS in adulthood.…”

“…Wang, Z. et al [ 26 ] found a significant association between famine exposure during infancy (OR = 1.83) and the risk of MetS in adulthood and a stratified analysis of famine severity found a stronger association between severe famine exposure and MetS in adulthood. Peng, Y. et al [ 27 ] analyzed 2080 study participants from the 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) and found that those exposed to famine during the middle childhood and late childhood stages had a higher risk of developing MetS in adulthood. Stratified analysis found a stronger association in areas of severe famine.…”

Combined Effect of Famine Exposure and Obesity Parameters on Hypertension in the Midaged and Older Adult: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…Most of the previous studies meant exactly that famine exposure was at a higher risk for health outcomes in late adolescence and adulthood. Exposure to Chinese famine in early life was related to increased risk of metabolic syndrome [41,44,[53][54][55][56][57], weight gain [26][27][28][29][30][31], diabetes [58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73], hypertension [11,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23], cognitive decline [74][75][76][77][78][79][80], and depressive syndrome [42,…”