{"title":"Famine exposure in early life and type 2 diabetes in adulthood: findings from prospective studies in China.","authors":"Feng Ning, Jing Zhao, Lei Zhang, Weijing Wang, Xiaohui Sun, Xin Song, Yanlei Zhang, Hualei Xin, Weiguo Gao, Ruqin Gao, Dongfeng Zhang, Zengchang Pang","doi":"10.4162/nrp.2023.17.4.780","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>This study examined the relationship between famine exposure in early life and the risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood during the 1959-1961 Chinese Famine.</p><p><strong>Subjects/methods: </strong>A total of 3,418 individuals aged 35-74 years free of diabetes from two studies in 2006 and 2009 were followed up prospectively in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Famine exposure was classified as unexposed (individuals born in 1962-1978), fetal exposed (individuals born in 1959-1961), child exposed (individuals born in 1949-1958), and adolescent/adult exposed (born in 1931-1948). A logistic regression model was used to assess the relationship between famine exposure and diabetes after adjustment for potential covariates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During a three-year follow-up, the age-adjusted incidence rates of type 2 diabetes were 5.7%, 14.5%, 12.7%, and 17.8% in unexposed, fetal-exposed, child-exposed, and adolescent/adult-exposed groups, respectively (<i>P</i> < 0.01). Relative to the unexposed group, the relative risks (95% confidence interval) for diabetes were 2.15 (1.29-3.60), 1.53 (0.93-2.51), and 1.65 (0.75-3.63) in the fetal-exposed, child-exposed, and adolescent/adult-exposed groups, after controlling for potential covariates. The interactions between famine exposure and obesity, education level, and family history of diabetes were not observed, except for the urbanization type. Individuals living in rural areas with fetal and childhood famine exposure were at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, with relative risks of 8.79 (1.82-42.54) and 2.33 (1.17-4.65), respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings indicate that famine exposure in early life is an independent predictor of type 2 diabetes, particularly in women. Early identification and intervention may help prevent diabetes in later life.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01053195.</p>","PeriodicalId":19232,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Research and Practice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/4c/4a/nrp-17-780.PMC10375332.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nutrition Research and Practice","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2023.17.4.780","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"NUTRITION & DIETETICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background/objectives: This study examined the relationship between famine exposure in early life and the risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood during the 1959-1961 Chinese Famine.
Subjects/methods: A total of 3,418 individuals aged 35-74 years free of diabetes from two studies in 2006 and 2009 were followed up prospectively in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Famine exposure was classified as unexposed (individuals born in 1962-1978), fetal exposed (individuals born in 1959-1961), child exposed (individuals born in 1949-1958), and adolescent/adult exposed (born in 1931-1948). A logistic regression model was used to assess the relationship between famine exposure and diabetes after adjustment for potential covariates.
Results: During a three-year follow-up, the age-adjusted incidence rates of type 2 diabetes were 5.7%, 14.5%, 12.7%, and 17.8% in unexposed, fetal-exposed, child-exposed, and adolescent/adult-exposed groups, respectively (P < 0.01). Relative to the unexposed group, the relative risks (95% confidence interval) for diabetes were 2.15 (1.29-3.60), 1.53 (0.93-2.51), and 1.65 (0.75-3.63) in the fetal-exposed, child-exposed, and adolescent/adult-exposed groups, after controlling for potential covariates. The interactions between famine exposure and obesity, education level, and family history of diabetes were not observed, except for the urbanization type. Individuals living in rural areas with fetal and childhood famine exposure were at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, with relative risks of 8.79 (1.82-42.54) and 2.33 (1.17-4.65), respectively.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that famine exposure in early life is an independent predictor of type 2 diabetes, particularly in women. Early identification and intervention may help prevent diabetes in later life.
期刊介绍:
Nutrition Research and Practice (NRP) is an official journal, jointly published by the Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition since 2007. The journal had been published quarterly at the initial stage and has been published bimonthly since 2010.
NRP aims to stimulate research and practice across diverse areas of human nutrition. The Journal publishes peer-reviewed original manuscripts on nutrition biochemistry and metabolism, community nutrition, nutrition and disease management, nutritional epidemiology, nutrition education, foodservice management in the following categories: Original Research Articles, Notes, Communications, and Reviews. Reviews will be received by the invitation of the editors only. Statements made and opinions expressed in the manuscripts published in this Journal represent the views of authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Societies.