ArticleBMJ open2023
Association between early life exposure to the great famine and possible sarcopenia in older Chinese adults: a national cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- From famine to NAFLD: long-term association between fetal famine exposure and adult non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Association Analysis of the Circulating Proteome With Sarcopenia-Related Traits Reveals Potential Drug Targets for Sarcopenia.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Article
- Early-life famine exposure increases the risk of subsequent physical disability: evidence from a national population-based survey.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- From starvation to depression: unveiling the link between the great famine and late-life depression.BMC public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesWe used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to investigate how an early life famine exposure affected possible sarcopenia (PS) and to explore the extent to which a sex difference exists in the association among older Chinese adults, as well as whether risk factors modify the association.
designCross-sectional study.
setting28 provinces of China.
participantsConsidering that the Great Chinese Famine lasted from the spring of 1959 to the fall of 1961, 3557 participants were selected and categorised into four subgroups based on their date of birth: unexposed group (1 October 1962 to 30 September 1964), fetal exposed group (1 October 1959 to 30 September 1961), infant exposed group (1 January 1958 to 31 December 1958) and preschool exposed group (1 January 1956 to 31 December 1957). OUTCOME MEASURE: PS was defined as having low muscle strength or low physical performance.
methodsWe used multivariable logistic models to analyse the association between early life famine exposure and the risk of PS in elderly life.
resultsThe prevalences of PS among individuals in the unexposed, fetal, infant and preschool exposed groups were 15.1%, 14.4%, 23.6% and 21.9%, respectively. Compared with the unexposed group, the infant (OR: 1.55; 95% CI 1.17 to 2.05) and preschool exposed (OR: 1.46; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.82) groups exhibited significantly higher risks of PS. In men, the infant (OR: 2.15; 95% CI 1.40 to 3.31) and preschool exposed (OR: 1.78; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.57) groups were more likely to have PS, but no significant increase was seen in women. In both sexes, prevalence of PS was unrelated to early life famine exposure in the urban, underweight and normal weight subgroups.
conclusionsEarly life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine was associated with a higher risk of PS in older adults. Keeping normal nutritional status in elderly life might help avoid the risk of PS, whatever the effect of early famine exposure.
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