Famine
How is exposure to famine related to risk for schizophrenia?
Consumption of a balanced diet during childhood aids the development of a healthy brain. This may act as a preventative factor for the development of schizophrenia in adulthood. In contrast, poor diet in childhood may increase the risk of developing the disorder.
What is the evidence on famine?
Moderate quality evidence suggests a small increased risk of schizophrenia in adulthood after exposure to famine in utero and/or childhood. This result was observed in regional China only as no reviews were found that assessed other regions.
April 2022
Image: ©domoskanonos – stock.adobe.com
Last updated at: 1:47 pm, 10th April 2022
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Fact Sheet Technical Commentary
Fact Sheet Technical Commentary
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Famine
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Antecedents
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Antecedents
-
Illness course and outcomes
- Absconding
- Age at onset
- Childhood and early-onset schizophrenia
- Creativity
- Criminal offending, aggression and violence
- Criminal victimisation
- Cultural differences
- Diet
- Drug and alcohol use
- Duration of untreated psychosis
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- Electronic device use
- Employment
- First-episode psychosis
- Functional outcomes
- Homelessness
- Hope
- Late-onset schizophrenia
- Loneliness
- Mortality
- Parenthood
- Pathways to care
- Physical activity
- Physical health monitoring
- Psychotic relapse
- Quality of care
- Quality of life
- Relationships
- Religiosity
- Remission and recovery
- Sex differences
- Smoking
- Stigma and attitudes towards mental health
- Suicide and self-harm
- Treatment adherence
- Treatment-resistance
- Insights for families
-
Physical features
-
Functional changes
- Body functioning
-
Biochemical changes
- Brain pH and lactate
- cAMP
- Cholesterol
- Dopamine
- Endocannabinoids
- GABA
- Hormonal changes
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
- Infectious agents
- Inflammation and the immune system
- Lipids
- Neurometabolites
- Neurotrophins
- Nitric oxide
- NMDA receptor function
- Oxidative stress
- S100 Proteins
- Serotonin
- Synaptic proteins
- Trace elements
- Vascular endothelial growth factor
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin D
- Cerebral blood flow and metabolism
- Electrophysiology
- Structural changes
- Brain regions
-
Functional changes
-
Co-occurring conditions
- Mental disorders
-
Physical disorders
- Auditory system dysfunction
- Autoimmune diseases
- Blood disorders
- Cancer
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Dementia
- Dental disease
- Diabetes
- Digestive disorders
- Epilepsy
- Heart disease
- Infectious diseases
- Metabolic syndrome
- Musculoskeletal and connective tissues
- Obesity
- Optical alterations
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Polycistic ovary syndrome
- Postoperative complications
- Reproductive and urological disorders
- Respiratory system dysfunction
- Sexual dysfunction
- Skin disorders
- Sleep apnea
- Thyroid disorders
- Underweight
- Venous thromboembolism
- Substance use
-
Incidence and prevalence
- General
- Incidence
-
Prevalence
- Prevalence in children
- Prevalence in elderly people
- Prevalence in forensic settings
- Prevalence in homeless populations
- Prevalence in indigenous populations
- Prevalence in inpatients
- Prevalence in males vs. females
- Prevalence in migrants
- Prevalence in refugees
- Prevalence in veterans and conflict settings
- Spatial variation in prevalence
- Worldwide prevalence
- General information
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Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.