Malnutrition in Pregnancy Linked to Higher Diabetes Incidence

For men born during the two most severe famine periods, 1939 and 1946/1947, the rate of new diabetes cases between 2013 and 2017 was found to be up to 78 percent higher. Among women from the same birth cohorts, the rate of new diabetes cases was up to 59 percent higher during the same period, reveals Klimek, from the Complexity Science Hub and the Medical University of Vienna. The effect is strongest in those born in 1939 (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Diabetes incidence in Austria: The role of famines on diabetes and related NCDs

Go to source). The incidence rate rose from 3.9 percent to 6.9 percent among men and from 3.4 percent to 5.4 percent among women. Additionally, both groups have an increased incidence of concomitant conditions such as heart failure, arterial hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and kidney disease.

Genetic Programming During Pregnancy

Scientists believe this is a result of genetic programming that occurs during pregnancy, which increases the risk of these diseases. As a result of deficiency, the unborn child’s metabolism adjusts to a nutritionally poor environment. If this does not prove true later in life, a maladaptation occurs that leads to increased metabolic and cardiovascular diseases in these birth groups.

“One strength of our study is the new, large dataset on which it is based,” says Klimek. This covers 99.9 percent of the Austrian population between 2012 and 2017, and all insured patients aged over 50 and under 100 were examined. Of these approximately 3.5 million people, 746,184 were treated for diabetes. The comprehensive dataset allowed researchers to measure age-specific and regional incidence rates directly for the entire population, without additional assumptions that would be required for modeling.

Diabetes Prevention: Recognizing the Role of Reproductive Health and Early Nutrition

“Our results clearly demonstrate that public health efforts to address diabetes should not focus solely on lifestyle factors. The importance of reproductive health, as well as adequate nutrition during pregnancy and in the early postnatal period, must also be considered,” Klimek said.

Reference:

1. Diabetes incidence in Austria: The role of famines on diabetes and related NCDs - (https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(23)04778-3)

Source-Eurekalert