Associations of concurrent early‐life famine exposure and adulthood obesity with type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle‐aged Chinese.

Background: Evidence has shown that early‐life famine exposure and obesity in adulthood are independently associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, few studies had revealed the combined effect of these risk factors. Methods: Two sets of groups from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were selected. The fetal‐exposure group born in 1959–1961 from 2011 wave (N = 958) and nonexposure group born in 1963–1965 from 2015 wave (N = 1540) were selected as Comparison 1. The early childhood‐exposure group born in 1955–1957 from 2011 wave (N = 1510) and fetal‐exposure group born in 1959–1961 from 2015 wave (N = 943) were Comparison 2. Logistic regressions were applied to examine the associations of different famine exposure periods and obesity patterns with T2DM risk. Results: Compared with nonexposed participants without central overweight/obesity in adulthood, central overweight/obesity in adulthood together with nonexposure (odds ratio [OR]: 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–3.00) or fetal‐exposure (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.23–3.23) was associated with higher risks of T2DM. Compared with the early childhood‐exposure group, the fetal‐exposed participants showed higher risks of T2DM (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02–1.66). The coexistence of fetal famine exposure and central overweight/obesity in adulthood was associated with higher risks of T2DM (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.19–2.79). Consistent associations were observed among males and participants from less severely affected areas. Conclusions: In conclusion, central overweight/obesity in adulthood is associated with the increased risk of T2DM, but the effect of early‐life famine exposure is not very clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]