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Women who were born in the summer are more likely to be healthy adults, suggests new research published in the journal Heliyon. The authors of the study, which involved almost half a million people in the UK, say more sunlight - and therefore higher vitamin D exposure - in the second trimester of pregnancy could explain the effect, but more research is needed.
According to the study, birth month affects birth weight and when the girl starts puberty, both of which have an impact on overall health in women as adults.
The environment in the womb leads to differences in early life - including before birth - that can influence health in later life. This effect, called programming, has consequences for development throughout childhood and into adulthood.
The researchers behind the new study, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK, looked at whether birth month had an effect on birth weight, onset of puberty, and adult height. They found that children who were born in the summer were slightly heavier at birth, taller as adults and went through puberty slightly later than those born in winter months.
"When you were conceived and born occurs largely 'at random' - it's not affected by social class, your parents' ages or their health - so looking for patterns with birth month is a powerful study design to identify influences of the environment before birth," said Dr. John Perry, lead author of the study.
Previous studies have reported certain effects of the season of birth, for example on birth weight and various other health outcomes. Dr. Perry and the team thought that childhood growth and development, including the timing of puberty, is an important link between early life and later health, so decided to study more closely the impact of birth month.
Read more here. (EurekAlert)
According to the study, birth month affects birth weight and when the girl starts puberty, both of which have an impact on overall health in women as adults.
The environment in the womb leads to differences in early life - including before birth - that can influence health in later life. This effect, called programming, has consequences for development throughout childhood and into adulthood.
The researchers behind the new study, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK, looked at whether birth month had an effect on birth weight, onset of puberty, and adult height. They found that children who were born in the summer were slightly heavier at birth, taller as adults and went through puberty slightly later than those born in winter months.
"When you were conceived and born occurs largely 'at random' - it's not affected by social class, your parents' ages or their health - so looking for patterns with birth month is a powerful study design to identify influences of the environment before birth," said Dr. John Perry, lead author of the study.
Previous studies have reported certain effects of the season of birth, for example on birth weight and various other health outcomes. Dr. Perry and the team thought that childhood growth and development, including the timing of puberty, is an important link between early life and later health, so decided to study more closely the impact of birth month.
Read more here. (EurekAlert)
