Prenatal exposure to famine appreciably increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adulthood, according to a new study of people impacted by the 1932-1933 Holodomor famine in Ukraine.
While previous research has suggested a link between prenatal nutrition and adult health outcomes, including metabolic disorders like diabetes, these studies were limited by small sample sizes and uncertainties around famine exposure.
The Holodomor famine in Ukraine, which was caused by Soviet policies and led to the deaths of millions through extreme food scarcity, presented a unique opportunity for researchers to assess the link due to its extreme severity, well-defined time frame, large population size, and extensive documentation.
In this ecological study, researchers used data to analyze 128,225 T2DM cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 among more than 10 million individuals born in Ukraine between 1930 and 1938.
The study found that individuals born in early 1934 who were in early gestation during the peak famine period in mid-1933 had a greater than 2-fold increased chance of developing T2DM in adulthood compared with those unexposed to the famine.
Researchers noted that the T2DM increase was seen among infants exposed to famine in mid or late gestation or in the first years of life. These findings highlight the importance of early gestational nutrition.
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