Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Maturitas. 2011 Oct;70(2):141-5. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.06.017. Epub 2011 Jul 28.
An increasing body of evidence suggests that poor nutrition at the very beginning of life - even before birth - leads to large and long term negative consequences for both mental and physical health. This paper reviews the evidence from studies on the Dutch famine, which investigated the effects of prenatal undernutrition on later health. The effects of famine appeared to depend on its timing during gestation, and the organs and tissues undergoing critical periods of development at that time. Early gestation appeared to be the most vulnerable period. People who were conceived during the famine were at increased risk of schizophrenia and depression, they had a more atherogenic plasma lipid profile, were more responsive to stress and had a doubled rate of coronary heart disease. Also, they performed worse on cognitive tasks which may be a sign of accelerated ageing. People exposed during any period of gestation had more type 2 diabetes. Future investigation will expand on the finding that the effects of prenatal famine exposure may reach down across generations, possibly through epigenetic mechanisms. Recent evidence suggests that similar effects of prenatal undernutrition are found in Africa, where many are undernourished. Hunger is a major problem worldwide with one in seven inhabitants of this planet suffering from lack of food. Adequately feeding women before and during pregnancy may be a promising strategy in preventing chronic diseases worldwide.
越来越多的证据表明，生命早期（甚至在出生前）的营养不良会对身心健康产生长期的负面影响。本文回顾了对荷兰饥荒的研究证据，这些研究调查了产前营养不良对后期健康的影响。饥荒的影响似乎取决于其在妊娠期的时间以及当时处于关键发育阶段的器官和组织。早期妊娠似乎是最脆弱的时期。在饥荒期间受孕的人患精神分裂症和抑郁症的风险增加，他们的血浆脂质谱更具动脉粥样硬化性，对压力的反应更敏感，患冠心病的几率增加一倍。此外，他们在认知任务上的表现更差，这可能是加速衰老的迹象。在任何妊娠期暴露的人患 2 型糖尿病的风险更高。未来的研究将扩展到发现，产前饥荒暴露的影响可能会通过表观遗传机制代代相传。最近的证据表明，非洲也存在类似的产前营养不良影响，那里有许多人营养不良。饥饿是一个全球性的主要问题，地球上有七分之一的人遭受食物短缺的困扰。在怀孕前和怀孕期间为妇女提供充足的营养可能是预防全球慢性疾病的一个有希望的策略。
