Exposure to the Chinese famine in early life and the risk of hypertension in adulthood

Objective to examine the associations of early life exposure to the 1959–1961 Chinese famine with the risk of hypertension in later life, and to examine whether a nutritional ‘rich’ environment in later life modifies this association. Methods We used data of 7,874 adults born between 1954 and 1964 from the 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey. Results In severely affected famine areas, as compared to adults who were not exposed to famine, those exposed during fetal life had a significantly higher systolic blood pressure (SBP difference 2.3 mmHg, 95%CI: 1.5–3.1, P<.0001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP difference 1.1 mmHg, 95%CI: 0.5–1.7, P=0.0003) and a marginally higher risk of hypertension (odds ratio 1.82, 95%CI: 0.97–3.40, P=0.06), which was not observed in less severely affected famine areas (P for interaction was 0.065 for SBP, 0.048 for DBP and 0.038 for hypertension). These associations were more pronounced in subjects who had a Western dietary pattern or who were overweight as adult. Conclusion Our results suggest fetal environment is associated with increased blood pressure and the risk of hypertension in adulthood. This association is stronger in subjects who have a Western dietary pattern or who are overweight as adults.