title: The famine exposure in early life and metabolic syndrome in adulthood.
abstract: Epidemiologic studies have revealed that early-life conditions influence later risk of chronic diseases. We aimed to explore whether exposure to Chinese famine between 1959 and 1962 during fetal and childhood period was related with metabolic syndrome (MS) in adulthood.
  
  
  
  6445 subjects from SPECT-China study were divided into fetal-exposed (1959-1962), childhood-exposed (1949-1958), adolescence/young adult-exposed (1921-1948), non-exposed (1963-1974) and non-exposed (after 1975). MS was defined by the International Diabetes Federation criteria.
  
  
  
  The prevalences of MS in the non-exposed (1963-1974), fetal and childhood-exposed were 16.4%, 20.1% and 19.1% in men and 13.5%, 23.7% and 33.5% in women, respectively. After adjustment for age, compared with non-exposed (1963-1974), fetal and childhood-exposed women had significantly higher prevalences of MS (P < 0.05), but not in men. Famine exposure during the fetal period (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.05, 2.07) and childhood (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.22, 2.67) was associated with higher risk of MS in women after adjusting for age (both P < 0.05). Further adjustments for age, smoking, rural/urban residence and economic status did not significantly attenuate this association.
  
  
  
  Exposure to famine in early life had sex-specific association with MS. It also suggests the adverse effects of malnutrition might extend beyond the 'first 1000 days' and last 9 years.
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ningjian
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chunfang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yingchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Dongping
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Bingshun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Electronic address: jensen@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: luyingli2008@126.com.
authors.forename: Yingli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D044466:Asian People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013217:Starvation / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Early life; Famine; Metabolic syndrome; Sex specific