Month of birth linked to babies' immune system development

One's fate may not be written in the stars, but the position of the sun at birth certainly seems to have a lasting effect.

 

Scientists from the University of London and the University of Oxford who have been studying multiple sclerosis (MS) have found a relation between the risk of developing MS and the month of a person’s birth.

 

MS is a disabling inflammatory disease wherein the body’s own immune system attacks and damages the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. This causes a breakdown in the delivery of messages between the brain and other parts of the body, causing both physical and cognitive disability. Symptoms include problems with muscle control, vision and hearing, and memory.

 

Based on a number of population studies conducted in the UK, where around 100,000 people have MS, the risk of developing the disease is highest among individuals born in May and lowest in those born in November.

 

While this may have little relation to the positions of the stars, the “month of birth” effect does have something to do with the sun. 

 

In newborn babies, the development of the immune system and the levels of vitamin D, which is formed by the skin when exposed to sunlight, vary according to their birth month.

 

The UK study involved taking samples of blood from a newborn baby's umbilical cord were taken from 50 babies born in November and 50 born in May between 2009 and 2010 in London.

 

Measurement of the levels of vitamin D and levels of autoreactive T-cells, the white blood cells which identify and destroy infectious agents like viruses, but can also attack the body's own cells, showed that May-born babies had 20 percent less vitamin D and, conversely, about 50 percent more autoreactive T-cells than November-born babies.

 

More autoreactive T-cells, which can turn against the body, could explain why babies born in May are at greater risk of developing MS.

 

Results of the study prompt further research into the potential benefits of prescribing vitamin D supplements to pregnant women and, subsequently, reducing the risk of MS and other autoimmune diseases in their babies.

 

So the next time someone brings up their daily horoscope in a conversation, don’t immediately shrug them off as kooks.

 

And don't forget your vitamin D. — TJD, GMA News