Childhood famine exposure tied to multimorbidity in older adults
In older Chinese adults, preschool famine exposure increased cardiometabolic multimorbidity risk (OR: 2.03), and school-age exposure raised complex multimorbidity risk (OR: 2.27) versus nonexposed controls.
Nutrition and Health
In a cross-sectional study of 1,580 community-dwelling older adults in China, researchers investigated whether early-life famine exposure affects multimorbidity risk in late life. Famine exposure was categorized based on age during exposure, ranging from toddlers to adults, alongside a nonexposed group. Multimorbidity was defined as the co-occurrence of at least two of 39 common chronic conditions.
Famine exposure substantially increased multimorbidity risk. Compared with the nonexposed group, individuals exposed during preschool years had an increased risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (OR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 4.08), while school-age exposure was associated with complex or multisystem multimorbidity (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.06, 4.88). Early-life famine exposure was also associated with increased risks of high blood pressure, chronic pulmonary diseases or asthma, fractures, and cataracts.
Why it matters
The findings show that severe nutritional deprivation during childhood may shape lifelong health trajectories across multiple physiological systems. This highlights how early developmental environments can influence the burden of chronic disease clustering in older age.
Caveats
The study utilized a cross-sectional observational design, which cannot establish direct causality. The findings are also derived from a specific cohort of older adults in China who lived through the Chinese famine.
The paper
Famine exposure in childhood and multimorbidity risk in older adults
Lanzhou University
Nutrition and Health · 30 Sep 2026