From famine to NAFLD: long-term association between fetal famine exposure and adult non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Malnutrition in early life may change the structure and function of the body, which lead to a number of diseases in adulthood. There are very few studies in health examination population about the prevalence of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) in adulthood after early experiences of malnutrition. Methods: A total of 4,188 participants were selected as research objects from a large tertiary Class A general hospital in western China. We divided the subjects into four groups based on their ages at the time of exposure to the famine during the era of the Great Chinese Famine. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the associations of famine exposure with prevalent mild and moderate to severe NAFLD. Model 1 was adjusted for gender and age, while Model 2 further controlled for overweight/obesity, elevated blood glucose, elevated blood pressure and dyslipidemia. Results: Fetal famine exposure was significantly associated with higher prevalence of both mild and moderate to severe NAFLD compared with the non famine-exposed group ( Conclusion: Fetal famine exposure may be associated with the development of adult NAFLD.