Consensus statement understanding health and malnutrition through a systems approach: The ENOUGH program for early life

Nutrition research, like most biomedical disciplines, adopted and often uses experimental approaches based on Beadle and Tatum’s one gene—one polypeptide hypothesis, thereby reducing biological processes to single reactions or pathways. Systems thinking is needed to understand the complexity of health and disease processes requiring measurements...

Physical activity, energy restriction, and the risk of pancreatic cancer: Prospective study in the Netherlands

Background: Because of their influence on insulin concentrations, we hypothesized that both physical activity and energy restriction may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. Objective: We examined the associations between physical activity, proxies for energy restriction, and pancreatic cancer risk. Design: The Netherlands Cohort Study...

Associations of gestational exposure to famine with energy balance and macronutrient density of the diet at age 58 years differ according to the reference population used

Individuals exposed to the Dutch Famine of 1944-45 during gestation have increased adiposity, which might be due to changes in energy intake, physical activity, or metabolic efficiency.We studied 357 persons born between January 1945 and March 1946 whose mothers experienced famine during or immediately preceding pregnancy, 298 persons born in...

Glycemic load, glycemic index, and pancreatic cancer risk in the Netherlands Cohort Study

Background: Recent studies of pancreatic cancer suggest a role for hyperinsulinemia in carcinogenesis. Because insulin is secreted in response to elevated blood glucose concentrations, dietary factors that increase these concentrations may be important in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Objective: The objective was to examine prospectively the...

Cohort profile: The Dutch Hunger Winter families study

Anthropometric measures in middle age after exposure to famine during gestation: Evidence from the Dutch famine

Background: Few studies in humans have related maternal undernutrition to the size of the adult offspring. Objective: The objective was to assess whether reductions in food intake by pregnant women during the Dutch famine of 1944-1945 were related to offspring length, weight, and indexes of adiposity in middle age. Design: We recruited 1)...

Exposure to famine during gestation, size at birth, and blood pressure at age 59 y: Evidence from the dutch famine

We compared blood pressure of individuals (mean age 59 y) born in western Holland between January 1945 and March 1946 (mothers exposed to the Dutch Famine before or during gestation; n = 359) to blood pressure of unexposed individuals born before or conceived after the famine (n = 299) or same-sex siblings of subjects in series 1 or 2 (n = 313)....

Intrauterine famine exposure and body proportions at birth: The Dutch Hunger Winter

Background. Fetal programming of adult disease may be a long-term effect of fetal nutrition. Expected short-term effects include changes in body size and proportions at birth. The specific responses of fetal growth to acute undernutrition at varying points in pregnancy are still unclear. Methods. We abstracted all birth records of infants born...

Energy restriction early in life and colon carcinoma risk: Results of The Netherlands Cohort Study after 7.3 years of follow-up

BACKGROUND. This study evaluated the effects of severe undernutrition during adolescence and subsequent colon carcinoma risk. METHODS. The authors evaluated The Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer (NLCS) among 62,573 women and 58,279 men aged 55-69 years at baseline. Information on diet and risk factors was collected by questionnaire in...

Diet in adolescence and the risk of breast cancer: Results of the Netherlands cohort study

Diet in adolescence and the risk of breast cancer: Results of the Netherlands Cohort Study

Objectives: In The Netherlands, part of the population experienced food restriction and severe famine during World War II. The purpose of this study was to study the effects of severe undernutrition during adolescence on the risk of breast cancer later in life. Methods: We examined the hypothesis in the Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and...