Exposure to different severities of famine and subsequent risk of sarcopenia in old age

• Published in: Journal of nutritional oncology Vol. 9; no. 3; pp. 73 - 80
• Main Authors: Lu, Miao-Miao, Zhou, Yu-Wei, Jin, Xi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01.09.2024; Department of Gastroenterology,Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine,Hangzhou 310003,Zhejiang,China%Department of Medicine,Zhejiang University School of Medicine,Hangzhou 310003,Zhejiang,China%Department of Gastroenterology,The First Affliated Hospital,Zhejiang University School of Medicine,Hangzhou 310003,Zhejiang,China
• Subjects: Sarcopenia; Famine; Grip strength; Possible sarcopenia
• ISSN: 2834-5371; 2096-2746; 2096-2746
• DOI: 10.1097/JN9.0000000000000037

Abstract Background Poor nutritional status is closely related to the development of sarcopenia and possible sarcopenia. Limited articles have evaluated the impact of undernutrition at different stages of life on the development of sarcopenia or possible sarcopenia in old age. The 1959-1962 Chinese famine provided the possibility for large-scale population studies on the effects of long-term undernutrition or inadequate intake on various health problems. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of long-term reduction of food intake (exposure to the 1959-1962 Chinese famine) in early life on the development of sarcopenia and possible sarcopenia in later life. Methods We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) 2015 and obtained information on whether participants had experienced famine from the 2014 Life Course Survey of Chinese Residents. After data integration and cleaning, we divided the included participants into five age-exposure cohorts based on birthdate, including cohorts exposed to famine during preschool, midchildhood, young teenage years, teenage years, and adulthood to analyze the long-term effects of exposure to famine on the development of sarcopenia and possible sarcopenia. Results Exposure to moderate or severe famine did not significantly increase the risk of possible sarcopenia (P > 0.05). In a further stratified analysis, moderate famine exposure in adulthood significantly increased the risk of possible sarcopenia (1.475 times; 95% CI : 1.104-1.969, P = 0.009). However, there was no significant association between famine exposure and possible sarcopenia in the preschool, midchildhood, young teenage, or teenage exposure cohorts (P > 0.05). Conclusions Exposure to famine in preadulthood did not increase the risk of possible sarcopenia in older adults. However, the risk of possible sarcopenia in later life was increased about 50% among participants who were exposed to moderate famine in adulthood.