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Exposure to Chinese famine in early life and the risk of dyslipidemia in adulthood

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Abstract

Purpose

Early life exposure to famine may affect the susceptibility to metabolic disorders including dyslipidemia. However, few studies explored the association between them in Chinese population. We aimed to evaluate the association between Chinese famine (1959–1961) exposure during early life and the risk of dyslipidemia in adulthood.

Methods

The study performed a historic cohort study and data were from China Health and Nutrition Survey conducted in 2009. A total of 4843 subjects born between 1941 and 1966 were categorized into fetal-infant exposed group (N = 433), childhood exposed group (N = 2132), adolescence exposed group (N = 1140), and unexposed group (N = 1138), respectively. Dyslipidemia was defined by Chinese adult dyslipidemia prevention guide (2016 edition). We compared fetal exposed group, childhood exposed group, and adolescence exposed group to unexposed group using logistic regression models to assess the effect of famine exposure on later dyslipidemia.

Results

The prevalence of dyslipidemia among subjects in unexposed group, fetal exposed group, childhood exposed group, and adolescence exposed group was 56.40, 64.00, 63.90, and 63.90%, respectively. Compared with unexposed group, participants exposed to famine in fetal period (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.05–1.70), childhood (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.23–1.69), and adolescence (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.17–1.71) had higher risks of dyslipidemia in adults after adjustment for potential confounders.

Conclusion

Exposure to Chinese famine in early life was associated with increased risk of dyslipidemia in adulthood. Preventing undernutrition in early life is an appropriate recommendation to reduce the prevalence of later dyslipidemia.

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Acknowledgements

This research uses data from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). We thank the National Institute for Nutrition and Health, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Carolina Population Center (P2C HD050924, T32 HD007168), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the NIH (R01-HD30880, DK056350, R24 HD050924, and R01-HD38700) and the NIH Fogarty International Center (D43 TW009077, D43 TW007709) for financial support for the CHNS data collection and analysis files from 1989 to 2015 and future surveys, and the China–Japan Friendship Hospital, Ministry of Health for support for CHNS 2009, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai since 2009, and Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control since 2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, The College of Public Health of Qingdao University, 38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao, 266021, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Xueling Xin, Weijing Wang, Hui Xu, Zongyao Li & Dongfeng Zhang

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Correspondence to Dongfeng Zhang.

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Xin, X., Wang, W., Xu, H. et al. Exposure to Chinese famine in early life and the risk of dyslipidemia in adulthood. Eur J Nutr 58, 391–398 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1603-z

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