Study finds link between birth month and disease risk

It turns out your birth month might determine more than just your astrological sign. When you are born also could determine some of your health risks, according to a new study from Columbia University Medical Center.

Scientists reviewed New York medical databases for 1.7 million patients and found 55 diseases linked to birth month, according to a statement released Monday by the university.

"This data could help scientists uncover new disease risk factors," Nicholas Tatonetti, the lead author on the study and professor at CUMC, said in the statement.

There are high-risk months and low-risk months in which to be born, the study found. People born in May have the lowest risk of disease overall and people born in October and November have the highest, according to the study.

The research also found that people born in March have the highest risk of heart disease. People born in September and October, have a higher risk of respiratory disease and early winter babies have a higher risk of developing reproductive diseases and neurological diseases.

Watch a video from CUMC about the study

But researchers warn that the study should be taken with a grain of salt. A person's health is not entirely pre-determined by when he or she was born, and it should not be something people actively worry about when having children or thinking about their own birth month, Tatonetti said.

"It's important not to get overly nervous about these results because even though we found significant associations, the overall disease risk is not that great," Tatonetti said in the statement. "The risk related to birth month is relatively minor when compared to more influential variables like diet and exercise."

Researchers plan to take their findings and duplicate it using a wider study group, incorporating databases from other areas in the USA and abroad.

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