Opioids ease my pain: Early-life malnutrition and elderly outcomes

Despite a large body of evidence showing that early-life malnutrition influences adult outcomes, there is no evidence that early-life starvation causes use of opioids. Studying the long-term effects of a food shortage in Iran caused by WWII, we find that the rate of people who use drugs in this cohort increased significantly higher than in surrounding cohorts. Then, we examine a broad spectrum of outcomes for this cohort to shed light on potential causes of opioid use in the survivors of this cohort. Our findings suggest that pain contributes significantly to opioid use.