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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!
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