Famine exposure during early life and risk of hypertension in adulthood: A meta-analysis

Abstract

This meta-analysis confirmed the association between exposure to famine in early life and increased risk of hypertension in adulthood. Prevention of malnutrition during early life is an appropriate recommendation to prevent hypertension.

Foetal and childhood exposure to famine and the risks of cardiometabolic conditions in adulthood: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies

“…Famine periods can be seen as natural experiments that can provide unique insights into the influence of early‐life undernutrition on the development of cardiometabolic conditions during adulthood that go beyond early body size. The associations of famine in early life with overweight, obesity, hyperglycaemia, T2DM, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome have been summarized in several meta‐analyses of observational studies . In the first meta‐analysis on this topic, exposure to the Chinese famine in early life was associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome in adulthood but not with the other outcomes mentioned above, possibly because of the limited number of studies included in each analysis.…”

“…In the first meta‐analysis on this topic, exposure to the Chinese famine in early life was associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome in adulthood but not with the other outcomes mentioned above, possibly because of the limited number of studies included in each analysis. Some of the outcomes investigated in the first meta‐analysis, including overweight, obesity, T2DM, and hypertension, were updated later in several meta‐analyses that included several non‐Chinese studies. While the updated results showed that early life exposure to famine was associated with increased risks of overweight, obesity, T2DM, and hypertension in adulthood, many aspects of these associations remain uncertain.…”

“…Some of the outcomes investigated in the first meta‐analysis, including overweight, obesity, T2DM, and hypertension, were updated later in several meta‐analyses that included several non‐Chinese studies. While the updated results showed that early life exposure to famine was associated with increased risks of overweight, obesity, T2DM, and hypertension in adulthood, many aspects of these associations remain uncertain. First, nearly all meta‐analyses on this topic did not specifically pool the data according to the period in life when the exposure to famine took place (foetal or childhood) but rather combined foetal and childhood exposure in a single analysis.…”

“…Thus, the most relevant period for famine exposure has yet to be determined. Moreover, the potential sex differences in the risks of T2DM, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, overweight, and obesity associated with foetal and childhood exposure to famine have not been adequately addressed by previous meta‐analyses . It is important to investigate whether sex may differently affect the outcomes because there are apparent physiological differences between men and women, particularly regarding hormonal regulation (ie, sex hormones, and menopause), fat distribution, and adipocyte biology, which all may, to some extent, contribute to sex‐related susceptibility differences .…”

The relationship between famine exposure in early life and ascending aorta dilatation in adulthood

“…Based on animal and human studies, low birth-weight babies and nutrient de ciency were likely to have endothelial dysfunction, less vascular elastin, increased sympathetic tone and liver-derived dyslipidemias [32,33].In addition, increased sympathetic tone was commonly associated with hypertension in animal models of both under nutritional and over nutritional states [34]. It was now generally accepted that exposure to famine in early life was closely related to adult hypertension [35], and that hypertension was an independent risk factor for AAD [36]. The mechanism of AAD is unclear.…”