Children born in the summer more likely to be healthy adults

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/e-cbi100715.php

Public Release: 12-Oct-2015
Children born in the summer more likely to be healthy adults
Getting more sun in pregnancy can lead to higher birth weight and later puberty for girls
Elsevier

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.

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Previous studies have reported certain effects of the season of birth, for example on birth weight and various other health outcomes.

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The researchers compared the growth and development of around 450,000 men and women from the UK Biobank study, a major national health resource that provides data on UK volunteers to shed light on the development of diseases.

The results reveal that babies born in June, July, and August were heavier at birth and taller as adults. For the first time, the study also revealed that girls born in the summer started puberty later - an indication of better health in adult life.

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