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Birth month determines cognitive and physical health
Can the birth month affect our health and character? Researchers at the University of Cambridge Medical Research Council studied the lives of approximately half a million people. They found that there were significant differences in the health of the children compared to the month of birth. So the saying "summer babies have a sunny mind" gets a scientific meaning.
Birth in the summer months is an advantage
Researchers at the University of Cambridge Medical Research Council have found that the month of birth has a significant impact on adolescent health. It is therefore advantageous if you see the light of day in the summer months. The team around Dr. John Perry reported in the journal "Heliyon" that babies born in the months of June, July and August were a bit heavier at birth and a bit taller than adults when grown up.
The month of birth has an impact on the future health of the child. Image: nadezhda1906 - fotolia They also found that puberty started a little later for girls born in the summer. The scientists explained that both birth weight and the onset of puberty have health implications. For example, it is known that a later onset of puberty is a sign of better health than adults.
Increased sunlight could be cause
The researchers suspect that solar radiation causes the differences between summer and winter babies. When pregnant women are exposed to higher levels of sunlight, it also stimulates vitamin D production to boost the immune system.
The circumstances within the uterus not only lead to differences in the first months of life, according to the scientists, but have consequences for the entire development - from childhood to adulthood. According to an older study, even the time of conception has an influence on the future health of the baby. For example, Princeton University's US researchers reported that the risk of premature birth would increase if fertilization took place in May. The reason might be flu viruses.
Born in winter are more balanced
Dr. Perry commented on the British study: "The time of conception and birth are random. They are not affected by their social status, their parents' age or their health. "It is an important study design to look for patterns around the birth month to identify environmental influences that affect pregnancy.
Previous studies have occasionally shown effects on birth weight and some other health effects. For example, Hungarian researchers reported years ago that the season in which the birth takes place determines the character. Thus, people born in the winter are calm and well-balanced, but with a slight tendency to depression, while in the summer, those born are rather over-excited and cheerful.
Further investigations needed
The British scientists evaluated data from about 450,000 men and women from the UK Biobank for their study. This provides data from volunteers in the UK to track down the onset of disease.
In the journal Elsevier, Perry said, "We are surprised and pleased to see the connections." He also said, "This is the first time that a link has been established between the onset of puberty and the birth month." more studies are needed to understand the mechanisms behind it. Only then is it possible to make appropriate recommendations. "We believe that the impact of vitamin D is immensely important and hopefully our findings will drive further research that highlights the long-term effects of the influence on puberty and later on health," said the expert. (Ad)