Anorexia nervosa 'link to spring birth'

Ok, this is weird; some researchers are saying that being born in Spring increases chances of developing anorexia. And being born in Autumn lowers the risk. This was on the BBC website, full article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13208401 

The article said this:

"A report published in the British Journal of Psychiatry suggests temperature, sunlight, infection or the mother's diet could be responsible.

Other academics said the effect was small and the disorder had many causes.

The researchers analysed data from four previous studies including 1,293 people with anorexia.

The researchers found an "excess of anorexia nervosa births" between March and June - for every seven anorexia cases expected, there were in fact eight.

There were also fewer than expected cases in September and October.

Dr Lahiru Handunnetthi, one of the report's authors, at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, said: "A number of previous studies have found that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression are more common among those born in the spring - so this finding in anorexia is perhaps not surprising."

I am actually a Spring baby. The research talks about temperature, sunlight, diet, vitamin D etc. as being the cause of this, but i think its more likely to be the type of parent. Parents who plan births often plan to give birth in the Spring, i know this is true of my mother. She wanted to be in control of the birth, and this controlling trait may have been passed down to me. Or another trait related to control. I suppose the researchers know best... but i think my theory works!


Sophie x 

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