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Metabolism and Metabolomics

Chinese famine and metabolic syndrome: a longitudinal cohort study in Suihua China

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 75, pages 992–993 (2021)Cite this article

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We have read with great interest the article by Yan et al. on prenatal exposure to the Chinese famine and metabolic syndrome in adulthood across generations [1]. This study was based on a population-based longitudinal cohort established in Suihua China (Suihua cohort). We have also read other articles based on the same cohort [2,3,4]. They are very interesting studies, and we have some questions about their study designs and results.

First, we found that basic characteristics presented in the Suihua cohort articles are inconsistent, including age, smoking, and BMI [1,2,3,4]. For example, in the article by Yan et al., the mean age is 59 years for famine exposed individuals and 57 years for non-exposed individuals [1]. In contrast, the mean age is 51.6 years for exposed individuals and 48.5 years for non-exposed individuals in another article by Li et al. using a similar exposure definition [4]. Similar inconsistencies can also be observed in the other two related articles [2, 3]. In our understanding, these inconsistencies can hardly be explained by variations in samples of individuals included for statistical analyses or other statistical procedures. Therefore, we are confused about how to interpret the related results in these articles.

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References

  1. Yan S, Hou W, Wu H, Jiang W, Li Y, Zhang Y, et al. Prenatal exposure to the Chinese famine and the risk of metabolic syndrome in adulthood across consecutive generations. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2020;74:1229–36.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Chihua Li

  2. Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

    Chihua Li

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Zhenwei Zhou

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  1. Chihua Li
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Correspondence to Chihua Li.

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Li, C., Zhou, Z. Chinese famine and metabolic syndrome: a longitudinal cohort study in Suihua China. Eur J Clin Nutr 75, 992–993 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00876-8

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