Relationship between exposure to risk factors early in life and disease development in adulthood

doi:10.3877/cma.j.issn.1674-0785.2025.07.006

Abstract

Abstract:

Adverse environmental factors, nutritional status, and chemical exposures early in life may increase the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal disorders in adulthood by affecting an individual's growth and development. Previous studies have shown that maternal smoking, antibiotic use during pregnancy, early infections, and low socioeconomic status are significantly associated with childhood obesity and increased body mass index in adulthood. In addition, breastfeeding practices and duration early in life and adverse childhood experiences are strongly associated with the development of musculoskeletal system disorders (osteoarthritis) and circulatory system disorders (atherosclerosis) in adulthood. Based on the DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease) theory, this paper systematically comprehends the impact of early life risk factor exposure on the development of chronic diseases in adulthood, provides new ideas for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in adulthood, and emphasizes the importance of early life intervention.

Key words: Early life exposure, Chronic diseases in adulthood, Obesity, Cardiovascular diseases, Musculoskeletal machine disease

Dan Liu, Keshi Zhang, Qingyuan Kang, Ping Yuan, Zhenpeng Guan. Relationship between exposure to risk factors early in life and disease development in adulthood[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinicians(Electronic Edition), 2025, 19(07): 520-525.

/ / Recommend

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://zhlcyszz.cma-cmc.com.cn/EN/10.3877/cma.j.issn.1674-0785.2025.07.006

https://zhlcyszz.cma-cmc.com.cn/EN/Y2025/V19/I07/520

References 48

1	李岩. 生命早期影响因素与婴幼儿生长发育的相关性研究 [D]. 沈阳: 中国医科大学,2023.
2	潘锋. 把握生命早期1000天机遇窗口期构筑健康未来[J] .妇儿健康导刊, 2024, 3(4): 4-6.
3	Behl M, Rao D, Aagaard K, et al. Evaluation of the association between maternal smoking, childhood obesity, and metabolic disorders: a national toxicology program workshop review [J]. Environ Health Perspect, 2013, 121(2):170-180.
4	魏雨萌, 杨凡. 孕期咖啡因暴露对儿童生长发育影响的研究进展[J]. 中国儿童保健杂志, 2025, 33(3): 303-307.
5	Bann D, Johnson W, Li L, et al. Socioeconomic inequalities in body mass index across adulthood: coordinated analyses of individual participant data from three British birth cohort studies initiated in 1946, 1958 and 1970 [J]. PLoS Med, 2017, 14(1):e1002214.
6	Barriuso L, Miqueleiz E, Albaladejo R, et al. Socioeconomic position and childhood-adolescent weight status in rich countries: a systematic review, 1990-2013[J]. BMC Pediatr, 2015, 15: 129.
7	Gluckman PD, Hanson MA, Cooper C, et al. Effect of in utero and early-life conditions on adult health and disease[J]. N Engl J Med, 2008, 359(1): 61-73.
8	Margetaki K, Stratakis N, Roumeliotaki T, et al. Prenatal and infant antibiotic exposure and childhood growth, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors: The Rhea mother-child cohort study, Crete, Greece[J]. Pediatr Obes, 2022, 17(1): e12843.
9	Leong KSW, McLay J, Derraik JGB, et al. Associations of prenatal and childhood antibiotic exposure with obesity at age 4 years[J]. JAMA Netw Open, 2020, 3(1): e1919681.
10	Roettger ME, Boardman JD. Parental incarceration and gender-based risks for increased body mass index: evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in the United States[J]. Am J Epidemiol, 2012, 175(7): 636-644.
11	Roettger ME, Boardman JD. Parental incarceration and gender-based risks for increased body mass index: evidence from the national longitudinal study of adolescent health in the United States[J]. Am J Epidemiol, 175(7): 636-644.
12	Alves JGB, Alves LV. Early-life nutrition and adult-life outcomes[J]. J Pediatr (Rio J), 2024, 100 Suppl 1(Suppl 1): S4-S9.
13	Qiao L, Guo Z, Bosco C, et al. Maternal high-fat feeding increases placental lipoprotein lipase activity by reducing SIRT1 Expression in mice[J]. Diabetes, 2015, 64(9): 3111-3120.
14	陆开航. 孕期尼古丁暴露致子代雄性大鼠骨关节炎易感的胆固醇蓄积机制 [D]. 武汉: 武汉大学, 2018.
15	Yoshida K, Wang J, Malspeis S, et al. Passive smoking throughout the life course and the risk of incident rheumatoid arthritis in adulthood among women[J]. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2021, 73(12): 2219-2228.
16	Shi Z, Shi X, Yan AF. Exposure to Chinese famine during early life increases the risk of fracture during adulthood[J]. Nutrients, 2022, 14(5): 1060.
17	Spitzer C, Wegert S, Wollenhaupt J, et al. Gender-specific association between childhood trauma and rheumatoid arthritis: a case-control study[J]. J Psychosom Res, 2013, 74(4): 296-300.
18	Nedunchezhiyan U, Varughese I, Sun AR, et al. Obesity, inflammation, and immune system in osteoarthritis[J]. Front Immunol, 2022, 13: 907750.
19	Xin Z, Xu L, Sun L. Assessing the causal relationship of birth weight and childhood obesity on osteoarthritis: a Mendelian randomization study[J]. J Dev Orig Health Dis, 2024, 15: e12.
20	Antony B, Jones G, Venn A, et al. Association between childhood overweight measures and adulthood knee pain, stiffness and dysfunction: a 25-year cohort study[J]. Ann Rheum Dis, 2015, 74(4): 711-717.
21	Nakamoto T, Rawls HR. Fluoride exposure in early life as the possible root cause of disease in later life[J]. J Clin Pediatr Dent, 2018, 42(5): 325-330.
22	Gluckman PD, Hanson MA, Cooper C, et al. Effect of in utero and early-life conditions on adult health and disease [J]. N Engl J Med, 2008, 359(1): 61-73.
23	Wu R, Zhu Z, Xiao W, et al. Mechanism of chondrocyte injury induced by Benzophenone-3 through modulation of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway[J]. Environ Pollut, 2025, 372: 126064.
24	付硕. 双酚A和诺氟沙星暴露雌性斑马鱼亲鱼对子代骨骼发育的毒性研究 [D]. 咸阳: 西北农林科技大学, 2023.
25	林剑浩, 康晓征, 李虎, 等. 武川县农村居民膝关节骨关节炎患病率调查[J]. 中华骨科杂志, 2009, 29(10): 929-933.
26	Meyer JF, Larsen SB, Blond K, et al.Associations between body mass index and height during childhood and adolescence and the risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis[J]. Obes Rev, 2021, 22(9) :e13276.
27	何垚, 赵晓娟, 朱好辉. 超重/肥胖儿童颈总动脉内径、血流速度和内膜中层厚度与早期动脉硬化的关系[J]. 郑州大学学报(医学版), 2019, 54(2): 287-290.
28	Kavey RE. Combined dyslipidemia in childhood[J]. J Clin Lipidol, 2015, 9(5 Suppl): S41-S56.
29	Rich-Edwards JW, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, et al. Birth weight and risk of cardiovascular disease in a cohort of women followed up since 1976[J]. BMJ, 1997, 315(7105): 396-400.
30	章磊, 谢彩虹, 唐欢, 等. ApoE-/-母体孕期高脂高胆固醇饮食对子代成年鼠动脉粥样硬化的影响[J]. 局解手术学杂志, 2010, 19(6): 459-461.
31	季妍. 免疫系统异常在孕期炎症刺激致子代动脉粥样硬化发生的作用及机制 [D]. 重庆: 中国人民解放军陆军军医大学, 2019.
32	World Health Organization. Evidence on the long-term effects of breastfeeding. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses[J]. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2007: 1-52.
33	Miliku K, Moraes TJ, Becker AB, et al. Breastfeeding in the first days of life is associated with lower blood pressure at 3 years of age[J]. J Am Heart Assoc, 2021, 10(15): e019067.
34	曹译丹, 宫可心, 朱贝贝, 等. 母乳喂养对降低宫内暴露高血糖子代超重或肥胖发生风险的Meta分析[J]. 中国循证医学杂志, 2022, 22(10): 1167-1174.
35	Hui LL, Kwok MK, Nelson EAS, et al. Breastfeeding in infancy and lipid profile in adolescence[J]. Pediatrics, 2019, 143(5): e20183075.
36	汪桂艳, 陈晶, 熊永强, 等. 出生至学龄前儿童体重变化, 血压与母乳喂养的关系[J]. 华中科技大学学报(医学版), 2023, 52(3): 345-350.
37	Simonetti GD, Schwertz R, Klett M, et al. Determinants of blood pressure in preschool children: the role of parental smoking[J]. Circulation, 2011, 123(3): 292-298.
38	Cui C, Liu L, Li H, et al. Childhood exposure to interparental physical violence and adult cardiovascular disease[J]. JAMA Network Open, 2024, 7(12): e2451806-e2451806.
39	Qiu XQ, Zhong QA, Zeng XY, et al. A case-control study on congenital heart diseases with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene, cystathionine beta-synthase gene, and environmental factors[J]. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi, 2006, 27(3): 260-263.
40	Tung EL, Wroblewski KE, Makelarski JA, et al. Childhood parental incarceration and adult-onset hypertension and cardiovascular risk[J]. JAMA Cardiol, 2023, 8(10): 927-935.
41	Yan YQ, Liu L, Sun S, et al. The relationship between famine exposure during early life and left ventricular hypertrophy in adulthood[J]. Front Nutr, 2022, 9: 898932.
42	Salzmann S, Salzmann-Djufri M, Euteneuer F. Childhood emotional neglect and cardiovascular disease: A narrative review[J]. Front Cardiovasc Med, 2022, 9: 815508.
43	刘青, 叶鹏. 儿童期哮喘病史与青年期无症状动脉硬化的关系: Bogalusa 心脏研究[J]. 中华高血压杂志, 2018, 26(6): 571-571.
44	Ascott A, Mulick A, Yu AM, et al. Atopic eczema and major cardiovascular outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies[J]. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2019, 143(5): 1821-1829.
45	Unal D, Gelincik A, Elitok A, et al. Impact of high serum Immunoglobulin E levels on the risk of atherosclerosis in humans[J]. Asia Pacific Allergy, 2017, 7(2): 74-81.
46	You W, Sevastidis J, Henneberg M. Family size and cardiovascular disease incidence: a population-level association study[J]. Future Sci OA, 2025, 11(1): 2495537.
47	Turecamo SE, Xu M, Dixon D, et al. Association of rurality with risk of heart failure[J]. JAMA Cardiol. 2023, 8(3): 231-239.
48	Magnusson K, Turkiewicz A, Dell’Isola A, et al. Shared genetic factors between osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease may underlie common etiology[J]. Nat Commun, 2024, 15(1): 9569.

[1]	Binxiong Chen, Ming Xie. The therapeutic effects of sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgery on obesity complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus [J]. Chinese Journal of Operative Procedures of General Surgery(Electronic Edition), 2025, 19(04): 461-466.
[2]	Jiajie Lu, Shuai Yan, Weihua Cai, Jinzhu Wu. Analysis of the related factors of weight rebound after sleeve gastrectomy in patients with obesity [J]. Chinese Journal of Operative Procedures of General Surgery(Electronic Edition), 2025, 19(03): 349-352.
[3]	Jiaming Xue, Shuai Chen, Yuwen Jiao, Dongmei Wang, Jie Zhao, Yan Zhou, Liming Tang. Present situation and future prospects of endoscopic technology in the treatment of obesity [J]. Chinese Journal of Digestion and Medical Imageology(Electronic Edition), 2025, 15(05): 421-425.
[4]	Zhen Guo Wu, Yan Bo Yu, Yan Qing Li. New advances in endoscopic weight loss and metabolic therapy [J]. Chinese Journal of Digestion and Medical Imageology(Electronic Edition), 2025, 15(03): 193-198.
[5]	Min Hong, Jianfeng Xu, Chen Feng. Predictive value of visceral obesity for postoperative infection complications in patients undergoing radical resection of colorectal cancer [J]. Chinese Journal of Digestion and Medical Imageology(Electronic Edition), 2025, 15(03): 199-204.
[6]	Zijun Fan, Yiting Wang, Duanmin Hu, Yilin Ren, Yingyue Sheng, Tianhao Liu, Tielong Wu, Yuanyuan Dai, Yuzheng Xue. Current status of research on endoscopic gastric botulinum toxin type A injection for weight loss [J]. Chinese Journal of Clinicians(Electronic Edition), 2025, 19(06): 467-470.
[7]	Lingjie Wang, Aiping Wang, Chaojun Li, Yueyou Ding, Deye Yang, Qing Zhao, Zhaoqiang Cui, Jingkun Wang, Hongyu Wang. Expert Consensus on Research and Development Strategies for Innovative Heart and Vascular Health Technologies (2024, Shanghai) [J]. Chinese Journal of Clinicians(Electronic Edition), 2025, 19(05): 323-336.
[8]	Mei Wang, Yong Zhao, Jian Zhang, Lina Zhang, Jianhua Ding, Yu Cao. Predictive value of perirenal fat area measured by CT for anastomotic complications after laparoscopic intersphincteric resection [J]. Chinese Journal of Clinicians(Electronic Edition), 2025, 19(05): 367-373.
[9]	Qiaoying Yin, Yani Qian, Huien Lei, Shiliu Wang, Tingting Li, Ruihua Yin, Lu Lu. Combined acupuncture and medication in the treatment of obesity in polycystic ovary syndrome patients with phlegm-dampness syndrome: a randomized controlled trial [J]. Chinese Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion(Electronic Edition), 2025, 14(03): 99-103.
[10]	Huixiang Lai, Qingran Lin, Lilian Gao. Challenges and opportunities for the development of specialized case managers in obesity and metabolic surgery in China [J]. Chinese Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases(Electronic Edition), 2025, 11(03): 170-175.
[11]	Wen Zhang, Zhiyong Dong, Wan'e Zhao, Cunchuan Wang, Weiju Chen, Wah Yang. Analysis of influencing factors of nurses ' attitude towards patients with obesity-Multi-regional and multi-center research based on questionnaire survey [J]. Chinese Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases(Electronic Edition), 2025, 11(03): 191-197.
[12]	Man Hu, Qingran Lin. Research progress of weight stigma assessment tools at different angles [J]. Chinese Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases(Electronic Edition), 2025, 11(03): 213-221.
[13]	Siyu Wang, Lilian Gao, Ying Yu, Wah Yang, Wen Zhang, Qingran Lin. Research advances in bone health following metabolic and bariatric surgery in adolescents with obesity [J]. Chinese Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases(Electronic Edition), 2025, 11(03): 222-226.
[14]	Bo Nan, Yunhu Bai, Ning Zhang, Yanling Yang. Research progress on obesity and gastrointestinal tumors [J]. Chinese Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases(Electronic Edition), 2025, 11(03): 240-248.
[15]	Zili Bian, Shijin Liu, Yiran Zhang, Yunlong Pan. Advances in immunotherapy for obesity-related tumors [J]. Chinese Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases(Electronic Edition), 2025, 11(03): 249-255.

Please choose a citation manager

Content to export