Skip to main content

Diseases linked to birth month says circadian neuroscientist


Professor Russell Foster, a circadian neuroscientist from the University of Oxford in England, says that conditions such as asthma, autism, and schizophrenia may be linked to a mother’s exposure to sunlight during pregnancy, thereby creating the link between a child’s birth month and the medical conditions the child is likely to contract. It’s all related to vitamin D exposure.

Circadian rhythms have long been studied in shift workers – how the 24-hour a day cycle of light and darkness affects work functionality. It’s often been called the “body clock” and linked, not only to shift work, but also to jetlag and crossing time zones. Professor Foster’s study examines sunlight’s effect on pregnant women, and ultimately their children.

How long a person lives and the extent of their health could be linked to the month of your birth. Babies born in spring appear to be at greater risk than those born in autumn.

On a month by month basis (of a person’s birth in the northern hemisphere), circadian neuroscience suggests that the following conditions are at higher risk of occurring. For people born in the southern hemisphere, the seasonal patterns shift by six months (shown in brackets).

January (July) – bipolar, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy

February (August) – bipolar, eating disorder, schizoaffective disorders, Hodgkin disease, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and narcolepsy

March (September) – Schizoaffective disorders, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), personality disorder, eating disorder, bipolar, autism, alcoholism, Hodgkin disease, childhood diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and narcolepsy

April (October) – SAD, personality disorder, eating disorder, bipolar, autism, alcoholism, Hodgkin disease, glaucoma, childhood diabetes, asthma, low IQ, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, narcolepsy, and Parkinson’s disease

May (November) – personality disorder, eating disorder, autism, alcoholism, glaucoma, childhood diabetes, asthma, low IQ, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease

June (December) – autism, alcoholism, glaucoma, childhood diabetes, asthma, Down’s syndrome, low IQ, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease

July (January) - autism, alcoholism, asthma, Down’s syndrome, and motor neuron disease

August (February) – autism, asthma, Down’s syndrome, and motor neuron disease

September (March) – asthma

October (April) – asthma

November (May) – asthma

December (June) – schizophrenia, and Crohn’s disease

If the circadian neuroscientists are correct, family planning is likely to increase!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...
2 comments
Read more

The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli (2015 translation): book review

The Knight in the Panther Skin (12th century, this edition 2015) is a recent translation by American poet and author, Lyn Coffin. The author, Shota Rustaveli, is Georgia’s most loved poet. This poem is mammoth, a magnum opus – it is 1,656 verses long, separated by chapters. But readers, don’t give up, because every verse is worth reading. It is akin to 1001 Arabian Knights, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, or Shakespearean poetry. King Rostevan of Arabia has a daughter, Tinatin. She loves the knight Avtandil and he loves her. Verse 368 from Avtandil: ‘The doctor’s could do nothing. A dark twilight on my heart now pressed, I was on fire because of love, but nobody knew or guessed. They blamed my blood. The king decided bleeding my arm would be best; I let it be done to hide the suffering I had not confessed.’ But a knight in panther skin is seen weeping, and subsequently kills the king’s soldiers, sparing the king. Before Tinatin weds Avtandil she r...
Post a Comment
Read more