Winter Babies Are More Likely To Have These Health Issues
Did you know that the season in which you were born could influence your health? No, we are not trying to preach astrology here, and yes, this is scientifically validated. The connection is perplexing, but it may be due to environmental factors during pregnancy or infancy. Examples of these influences include seasonal infections, nutritional changes, and differences in vitamin D levels (via LiveScience).
A child born in winter is more likely to have been conceived in spring and carried throughout summer and autumn. The mother is likely receiving higher vitamin D levels for most of the pregnancy, but the baby will receive lower levels of vitamin D once it is born. The baby is also born in the middle of flu season. When compared to a baby born in summer, when the sun is out constantly and influenza is circulating at lower rates, there is bound to be a difference in health and well-being.
This is how being born in winter could influence your health
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association examined 1,688 conditions, and found that 55 have a significant association with the month of birth. People born in winter months are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure.
Dr. Nicholas Tatonetti, an assistant professor of biomedical informatics, told Columbia Magazine that this may be because mothers are more likely to be dealing with infectious diseases during this time. "Could that be harming the development of their babies' hearts in the womb? It's unclear [...] But perhaps it will prompt medical researchers to investigate how seasonal factors may be obstructing the heart's development. Once you identify those factors, you may be able to prevent future disease."
He is quick to emphasize that the differences in disease across birth months are inconsequential compared to the impact of factors such as exercise and diet (per Columbia University Irving Medical Center).
On the bright side, people born between December and February will be happy to know that they have a lower risk of nonvenomous insect bites. Why this is the case is anybody's guess, but ironically for winter babies, it will surely make summers more enjoyable.