Background and aim: Early life exposure to the famine may affect the susceptibility to the metabolic disorders. The objective of this study was to examine the associations of early life exposure to the Chinese Famine (1959-1961) with the risk of fatty liver disease, obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia in adulthood.
Methods: We used the data of 10,935 adults born between 1956 and 1965 in Chongqing from check-up center at the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in 2011. Logistic regression models were used to explore the effects of famine on the risk of fatty liver disease, obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia.
Results: In Chongqing, prevalences of fatty liver disease among adults in non-exposed (1956-1958 plus 1963-1965) group and born in 1959, 1960, 1961, and 1962 were 34.01%, 36.42%, 34.63%, 40.27%, and 36.09%, respectively. Prevalences of fatty liver disease, obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia were significantly higher in males versus females. The risk of fatty liver disease was about 1.375-fold (1.303 (95% confidence interval, 1.066-1.594) for male, 1.547(95% confidence interval, 1.195-2.002) for female) higher in subjects born in 1961, and 1.142-fold (1.117 (95% confidence interval, 0.957-1.305) for male, 1.242 (95% confidence interval, 1.003-1.537) for female) higher in subjects born in 1962 after adjustment of age and sex, compared with non-exposed subjects. Early life exposure to the Chinese famine was also associated with the increased risk of obesity and hyperglycemia.
Conclusions: Exposure to the Chinese famine during fetal life and infancy was associated with an increased risk of fatty liver disease in adulthood.
Keywords: fatty liver disease; malnutrition; starvation.
© 2015 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.