Objective:To analyze the relationship between early-life famine exposure and the risk of metabolic syndrome in Chinese population.Methods:Relevant literature on the relationship between early-life famine exposure and the risk of metabolic syndrome in the Chinese population was retrieved from databases such as CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, Web of Science, and PubMed. The search was conducted from the inception of the databases up to October 2022. Two researchers independently extracted and systematically evaluated the data from the literature, and meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16.0 software. Results:A total of 12 publications met the inclusion criteria, including 71 470 study subjects. Meta-analysis results showed that early-life famine exposure increased the risk of metabolic syndrome in the Chinese population( OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.16-1.40). Subgroup analysis showed that both fetal famine exposure( OR=1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.52) and childhood famine exposure( OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.15-1.45) increased the risk of developing metabolic syndrome compared to the non-exposed group, and this significant association was only found in the female population. Conclusion:Early-life exposure to famine may increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome in adulthood in the Chinese population, particularly among females.