Effect of foetal exposure to famine on the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Weihao Wang, Ran Wei, Qi Pan, Lixin Guo

Journal: Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver 2023;55(7):848-855

PMID: 36289024

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

The risk of metabolic disease in adulthood is not only attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle after birth but also to famine exposure during the foetal period. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of foetal exposure to famine as a risk factor for developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adulthood.

METHODS

Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases to evaluate the effect of foetal exposure to famine on the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in adulthood.

RESULTS

Six studies involving 90,582 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. Foetal exposure to famine was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD(RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.08-1.27, P < 0.0001). Exposure to famine during the foetal period significantly increased the incidence of NAFLD in women (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.16-1.40, P <0.00001), while similar results were not observed in the male subgroup (RR =0.99, 95% CI: 0.89-1.11, P = 0.88). Foetal exposure to famine was associated with the risk of mild NAFLD (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02-1.33, P = 0.02) and moderate to severe NAFLD (RR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.16-1.98, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Foetal exposure to famine is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD in adulthood. Women with NAFLD and moderate to severe NAFLD have a more robust association with foetal exposure to famine.

Address: Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; Peking University Fifth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, China.; Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.; Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; Peking University Fifth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2022.09.022

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Male, Female, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Famine, Risk Factors, China, Life Style