Jie Li1,2, Qingling Yang1, Ran An3, Howard D Sesso4, Victor W Zhong5, Kei Hang Katie Chan2,6, Tracy E Madsen2,7, George D Papandonatos8, Tongzhang Zheng2, Wen-Chih Wu2,9, Yan Song2,10, Xueqing Yu1,11, Simin Liu2,9. 1. From the Global Health Research Center, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China (J.L., Q.Y., X.Y.). 2. Department of Epidemiology and Center for Global Cardiometabolic Health (J.L., K.H.K.C., T.E.M., T.Z., W.-C.W., Y.S., S.L.), School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI. 3. Medical Research Center, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China (R.A.). 4. Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (H.D.S.). 5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (V.W.Z.). 6. Departments of Biomedical Sciences and Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China (K.H.K.C.). 7. Department of Emergency Medicine (T.E.M.), The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI. 8. Department of Biostatistics (G.D.P.), School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI. 9. Departments of Medicine and Surgery (W.-C.W., S.L.), The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI. 10. Analysis Group, Inc., Boston, MA (Y.S.). 11. Department of Nephrology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory on Immunological and Genetic Kidney Diseases, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China (X.Y.).
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early-life exposures play key roles in the development of metabolic diseases. Whether such effects exist beyond one generation remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the transgenerational association of early-life exposure to the Chinese famine of 1959 to 1962 with the trajectories of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (BP) in 2 consecutive generations. METHODS: We included 21 106 F1 observations born between 1954 and 1967 (median age: 45 years) and 1926 F2 observations (median age: 23 years) from the longitudinal household-based China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1993 to 2015. Trajectories of BMI, WC, systolic BP, and diastolic BP were fitted and compared between groups using linear mixed effect models. RESULTS: Early-life exposure to famine was associated with increased BMI, WC, and BP in 2 consecutive generations with sex and age disparities. In F1, famine was associated with increased BMI, WC, systolic BP, and diastolic BP, especially in men or those aged older than 50 years (P ranged from <0.001 to 0.02). In F2 men but not women, the parental exposure to famine was associated with 0.59 kg/m2 ([95% CI, 0.10-1.08], P=0.02) increase in BMI. In F2 aged ≥25 years but not those younger ones, the parental exposure to famine was associated with increased BMI (0.83 kg/m2 [0.14-1.51], P=0.03), systolic BP (2.04 mm Hg [0.20-3.88], P=0.03), and diastolic BP (1.73 mm Hg [0.28-3.18], P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The effects of an adverse developmental environment through famine in early life on BMI and BP later in life may persist beyond one generation.
BACKGROUND: Early-life exposures play key roles in the development of metabolic diseases. Whether such effects exist beyond one generation remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the transgenerational association of early-life exposure to the Chinese famine of 1959 to 1962 with the trajectories of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (BP) in 2 consecutive generations. METHODS: We included 21 106 F1 observations born between 1954 and 1967 (median age: 45 years) and 1926 F2 observations (median age: 23 years) from the longitudinal household-based China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1993 to 2015. Trajectories of BMI, WC, systolic BP, and diastolic BP were fitted and compared between groups using linear mixed effect models. RESULTS: Early-life exposure to famine was associated with increased BMI, WC, and BP in 2 consecutive generations with sex and age disparities. In F1, famine was associated with increased BMI, WC, systolic BP, and diastolic BP, especially in men or those aged older than 50 years (P ranged from <0.001 to 0.02). In F2 men but not women, the parental exposure to famine was associated with 0.59 kg/m2 ([95% CI, 0.10-1.08], P=0.02) increase in BMI. In F2 aged ≥25 years but not those younger ones, the parental exposure to famine was associated with increased BMI (0.83 kg/m2 [0.14-1.51], P=0.03), systolic BP (2.04 mm Hg [0.20-3.88], P=0.03), and diastolic BP (1.73 mm Hg [0.28-3.18], P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The effects of an adverse developmental environment through famine in early life on BMI and BP later in life may persist beyond one generation.
Entities:
Keywords:
blood pressure; body mass index; cardiovascular diseases; famine; metabolic diseases; trajectory; waist circumference
Authors: Sam Schoenmakers; E J Joanne Verweij; Roseriet Beijers; Hilmar H Bijma; Jasper V Been; Régine P M Steegers-Theunissen; Marion P G Koopmans; Irwin K M Reiss; Eric A P Steegers Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-04-13 Impact factor: 4.614