Xiang Shuai, Li Yixuan, Dong Bingzi, Chi Haochen, Wang Yangang, Liu Shanglong
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Front Nutr. 2025 Jun 13;12:1532721. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1532721. eCollection 2025.
The Great Chinese Famine in the 1960s represents a significant historical event with potential long-term health consequences. This study aims to investigate the impact of famine exposure during different developmental stages (fetal, preschool, school-age, and unexposed) on cognitive function in adulthood.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 4,067 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database. Participants' famine exposure histories were categorized based on birthdates and famine severity, and their cognitive function was assessed in adulthood. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between famine exposure during different life stages and average cognitive score from 2011 to 2015.
Our study showed that fetal exposure to famine was significantly associated with lower cognitive function scores in adulthood, compared to individuals who were not exposed or exposed during other life stages (preschool or school-age). After adjusting for confounding factors, the fetal exposed group showed a statistically significant decrease in global cognition ( = -0.60, 95% CI: -0.95, -0.25), episodic memory ( = -0.25, [95% CI: -0.42, -0.07]), and executive function ( = -0.36, [95% CI: -0.61, -0.10]) compared to the non-exposed group. Furthermore, participants from severely affected famine areas exhibited significantly lower cognitive function scores compared to those from less severely affected famine areas after adjusting for all confounding factors.
Fetal exposure to severe famine was associated with reduced cognitive performance in adulthood. This study provided new evidence for developing prevention and treatment strategies for cognitive decline.
20世纪60年代的中国大饥荒是一个具有重大历史意义的事件，可能会产生长期的健康后果。本研究旨在调查不同发育阶段（胎儿期、学龄前、学龄期以及未暴露）暴露于饥荒对成年后认知功能的影响。
对来自中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）数据库的4067名参与者进行了一项回顾性队列研究。根据出生日期和饥荒严重程度对参与者的饥荒暴露史进行分类，并在成年后评估他们的认知功能。采用多元线性回归分析来探讨不同生命阶段的饥荒暴露与2011年至2015年的平均认知得分之间的关系。
我们的研究表明，与未暴露或在其他生命阶段（学龄前或学龄期）暴露于饥荒的个体相比，胎儿期暴露于饥荒与成年后较低的认知功能得分显著相关。在调整混杂因素后，与未暴露组相比，胎儿期暴露组在整体认知（β = -0.60，95%置信区间：-0.95，-0.25）、情景记忆（β = -0.25，[95%置信区间：-0.42，-0.07]）和执行功能（β = -0.36，[95%置信区间：-0.61，-0.10]）方面显示出统计学上的显著下降。此外，在调整所有混杂因素后，来自受饥荒影响严重地区的参与者的认知功能得分明显低于受饥荒影响较轻地区的参与者。
胎儿期暴露于严重饥荒与成年后认知能力下降有关。本研究为制定认知衰退的预防和治疗策略提供了新的证据。
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