Early Life Exposure to the Great Chinese Famine and Cardiometabolic Outcomes

Is early life exposure to famine associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, or cardiovascular hospitalization among Chinese immigrants?This cohort study of 208 921 adults found that prenatal, childhood, and adolescent exposure to famine were associated with 37% to 58% increased hazards of T2D and 22% to 25% increased hazards of hypertension. Prenatal and childhood famine exposures were not associated with cardiovascular hospitalization, while adolescent famine exposure was associated with a 14% decrease in cardiovascular hospitalization.This study suggests that early life undernutrition is a novel cardiometabolic risk factor among immigrants that is associated with the burden of T2D and hypertension in high-income countries.

Corresponding Author: Calvin Ke, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth St, 12 E-252, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada (calvin.ke@utoronto.ca).

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