Individuals conceived in the severe Dutch Famine, also called the Hunger Winter, may have adjusted to this horrendous period of World War II by making adaptations to how active their DNA is. Genes involved in growth and development were differentially regulated, according to researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center, Harvard University, and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.
During the winter of 1944-1945 the Western part of The Netherlands was struck by a severe 6-month famine. During this Hunger Winter the available rations provided as low as a quarter of the daily energy requirements. Children conceived—but not born—during the famine were delivered with a normal birth weight. Extensive research on the DNA of these Hunger Winter children shows that the regulatory systems of their growth genes were altered, which may also explain why they appear to be at higher risk for metabolic disease in later life.
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