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

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
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