During the winter of 1944 in Nazi-occupied Holland, the Dutch population experienced a devastating five-month period of starvation from November 1944 to May 1945. The Nazis had seized all the food from the Dutch land, transporting it to Germany, resulting in a drastic decrease in the average calorie intake to a mere 400-800 calories per day. Tragically, this led to the deaths of 22,000 individuals.
However, this dire situation inadvertently provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of maternal starvation on fetal development. Pregnant women were subjected to extreme malnutrition, and the effects on their unborn children were observed. A significant study, titled “The Effect of Wartime Starvation in Holland on Pregnancy and its Outcomes,” was subsequently published, examining 2,414 babies born between November 1943 and November 1947, all of whom were born during the Dutch famine period.
This study included two control groups:
- Babies who suffered famine in the first year of their life.
- Babies who were conceived and born after the famine, thus not affected by it.
The study also identified three prenatally exposed groups:
- Those exposed to famine in late gestation, which had a light effect on their life.
- Those exposed to famine in mid-gestation.
- Those exposed to famine in early gestation (born after the famine had ended).
The data indicated that children who suffered famine during mid and late pregnancy were born with lower birth weights. However, the most significant long-term effects were observed in the group exposed to famine in early gestation. By the age of 50, this group exhibited a higher incidence of:
- Glucose intolerance
- Obesity
- High cholesterol
- Poor perceived health
- Cardiovascular disease and mortality
- Breast cancer
- Depression
- Increased stress responsiveness
- Poor results on cognitive tasks
- Preference for fatty foods
Interestingly, the only upside observed in this group was an increase in reproductive success.
Within the babies there were 2 control groups
- the first suffered famine in the first year of their life.
- was concaved and born after the famine, so they we’re not effected at all by the famine.
The 3 prenatally exposed groups to the famine
- Exposed to famine in late gustation – had a light effect in their life.
- Exposed to famine in mid gustation
- Exposed to famine in early gustation (born after the famine had ended)
The Dutch famine birth cohort study
The data indicated that the children that suffered famine during their pregnancy in the mid and late parts of the pregnancy we’re born in a lower weight.
The Dutch famine babies weight at the age of 50
The Dutch famine birth cohort study provided valuable insights into the profound influence of maternal starvation on fetal development. It demonstrated that inadequate nutrition during early pregnancy can lead to long-term changes in the offspring’s metabolism, particularly in the utilization of sugars and fats, resulting in a tendency to store more of these substances in adult life.
So from these numbers we can see that actually the babies that suffer the most are the ones that we’re exposed to the famine in the early part of the pregnancy, they suffer more the the other groups:
- Glucose tolerance
- Obesity
- High cholesterol
- Perceived health
- Cardiovascular disease and mortality
- Breast cancer
- Depression
- Stress responsiveness
- Poor results on cognitive tasks
- Preference to fatty food
One upside of that group is: increase in reproductive success.
More info about the study
Further Reading on the Site
Related pieces: the Dutch hunger winter, breathwork, micro-movement method. For broader context on how diet shapes long-term metabolic health, the PREDIMED trial (Estruch et al. 2018 NEJM) remains the best randomized evidence for a Mediterranean-style pattern over a low-fat default.
Last updated: May 18, 2026
