Childhood exposure to hunger: associations with health outcomes in later life and epigenetic markers.
Laura PernaYan ZhangBeate WildMatthias KliegelAndreas IhleBen SchöttkerUte MonsHermann BrennerPublished in: Epigenomics (2020)
Aim: To assess associations of early exposure to hunger with depressive symptoms and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to investigate possible epigenetic pathways. Patients & methods: Data were based on a German population-based cohort of older adults (n = 9631). Regression models were performed for health outcomes in later life. An epigenome-wide association study for early-life exposure to hunger was performed in a subgroup (n = 2221) with whole blood DNA methylation data. Results: Childhood exposure to hunger was associated with CVD and depressive symptoms in later life. Prenatal or infant exposure was strongly associated with depressive symptoms. No CpG reached epigenome-wide significance after multiple testing correction. Conclusion: Childhood hunger is a risk factor for depressive symptoms and CVD at older age. DNA methylation could not explain this association.
Keyphrases
- dna methylation
- depressive symptoms
- early life
- genome wide
- social support
- gene expression
- cardiovascular disease
- end stage renal disease
- sleep quality
- physical activity
- electronic health record
- chronic kidney disease
- big data
- newly diagnosed
- type diabetes
- copy number
- pregnant women
- prognostic factors
- randomized controlled trial
- machine learning
- metabolic syndrome
- coronary artery disease
- patient reported outcomes
- deep learning
- artificial intelligence
- young adults